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TRAINING OF THE VOICE 

An Explanation of the Fundamentals of the Theory and 
Practice of Voice Development, together 
with adequate exercises 



By 



R. E. PATTISON KLINE 

■I 
Dean Public Speaking Department, 
Columbia College of Expression, Chicago 



AMERICAN CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOL OF LAW 
CHICAGO 






Copyright, 1914 

By 

AMERICAN CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOL OF LAW 

CHICAGO 



h. 



..«,-. 



FEB 20 1915 
©CU391811 



PREFACE. 

Effort has been made to present in this 
volume the explanation of the funda- 
mentals of the theory and practice of voice 
development, together with adequate ex- 
ercises. 

It is by no means contended that a 
finished voice will result from following 
the work planned herein. A simple and 
clear statement of principles and exercises 
has been attempted. It is believed that 
the thoughtful student will find that a care- 
ful, systematic study and practice of the 
exercises will result in clue time in distinct 
improvement of the voice. Results must 
not be expected too rapidly. Voice 
habits that have existed a number of years 
will tend to persist. It must never be 
expected, either, that improvement will 
result if the practice is irregular and care- 
less. Let the practice be regular and 



PKEFACE 

undertaken with the keenest attention and 
care, and results will follow. 

At the beginning let the voice practice 
period be no longer than fifteen minutes. 
As the student advances this period may- 
be lengthened to a half hour, and perhaps 
occasionally, to an hour. 

E. E. Pattison Kline. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 

CHAPTER PAGE 

Introduction 5 

Vocal Efficiency and Speech Effectiveness — 
Good Voices Due to Training 

L Conditions Affecting Tone Production 21 

Adjustment of the Vocal Apparatus — Exer- 
cises for Securing an Open Throat — Exer- 
cise for Training the Tongue — Exercises 
for Securing Position of Lips — Placing the 
Voice — Exercises for Placement of Tone 

II. Correct Breathing 33 

Process of Health Breathing — Breathing for 
Tone Production — Breathing Exercises, 
Numbers 1 to 8 

III. The Psychology of Tone Production 46 

IV. Practice of the Voice Exercises 51 

Phrases and Sentences for Practice, to Se- 
cure Purity and Resonance 

V. To Secure Distinct Articulation with Smooth- 
ness of Utterance 55 

VI. Short Exercises for Purity of Tone, Easy 

Phrasing and Distinct Articulation 62 

VII. Exercises to Secure Flexibility 67 

VIII. Exercises for Fullness, Breadth and Power 

of Tone 92 

Index 117 



TRAINING OF THE VOICE 



INTRODUCTION. 

There seems to be in this day but very- 
little realization of the relation that a well 
trained voice sustains to successful public 
speech. So few of our public speakers 
today have trained voices that it seems 
that one is justified in the conclusion that 
they do not consider the training of the 
voice as necessary to successful speech. 
There are a few public speakers who are 
known to have put no little time and train- 
ing into the development of the speaking 
voice. But the frequency with which the 
voices of public speakers break down and 
the lack of sweetness, beauty, flexibility, 
and power in these same voices indicate 
that there has been little training applied to ' 
them. 

And yet, it would seem that a little reflec- 
tion upon the subject would show that one 
cannot hope to produce the greatest and 

5 



6 TRAINING OF THE VOICE 

most effective results in speech except 
as the voice is trained. The study of 
the oratory of the great speakers of 
past ages shows that many of them spent 
much time in putting the voice under thor- 
ough vocal discipline. 

The voice is the most wonderful of 
musical instruments. Just as all musical 
instruments made by the brains and skill 
of man are made according to certain well 
known scientific laws, so the human mus- 
ical instrument must have been made to 
operate according to well known scientific 
laws. Therefore, if the instrument fails 
to operate according to established law it 
will fail to produce the qualities of tone 
desired. Environment, education, modes 
of living, tend to a breaking of these laws, 
and poor voices result. 

When one considers the vast number of 
ideas in the world, the great number of 
feelings or emotions which the human race 
is capable of experiencing, and further 
that men communicate or attempt at least 
to communicate these ideas and feelings, 
one to another, it can readily be seen that 



TKAINING OF THE VOICE 7 

there must be a very remarkable instrument 
to perform this service for mankind. When 
it is remembered further that these ideas 
and emotions or passions are capable of 
being experienced not only singly but 
in great mixture or complexity, several 
kinds being present in a given situation, 
one must further be impressed with the 
marvelous character of the instrument 
that can convey all of this complexity. 
And yet this, the perfect voice is capable 
of doing. It is only an occasional voice 
like that of a Mme. Bernhardt, or of a 
Demosthenes or of a Wendell Phillips, 
that proves the point. One of the more 
important reasons for dramatic greatness 
or oratorical greatness is to be found in 
the fact of great vocal ability and excel- 
lence. 

VOCAL EFFICIENCY AND SPEECH 
EFFECTIVENESS. 

This brings us to the statement of a gen- 
eral principle that is of significance. One 's 
speech effectiveness, other things being fa- 
vorable, is dependent very, very largely 



8 TRAINING OF THE VOICE 

upon vocal efficiency. The impression 
which a speaker makes upon his audience 
is conditioned upon the ability of his voice 
to put into vocal form that which he wishes 
to say. 

Dr. Hiram Corson, of Princeton Uni- 
versity, says in a book which he has writ- 
ten, that for the great poets, dramatists, 
and orators, words do not stand for ideas. 
Words stand for sounds, and the idea is 
gained from the sound. Some thought will 
prove that this statement is true. Every- 
day experience shows that we gather the 
meaning of conversation as much from the 
tone in which the conversation is uttered 
as from the words chosen. Again and 
again a quality of tone in a speech has 
made us believe that the speaker has meant 
to convey just the opposite idea from that 
which the words conveyed. Anyone can 
determine this matter for himself. Select 
any sentence desired, and determine a 
meaning to be conveyed by the utterance of 
the sentence. Upon speaking the sentence, 
study carefully its vocal form. Now, 
change the meaning of the sentence with- 



TRAINING OF THE VOICE V 

out changing any of the words. Speak the 
sentence and compare the vocal form with 
that first uttered. Select another meaning 
which these same words might express, 
and speak them again, without changing a 
single word in the sentence, and it will be 
discovered that another very different 
vocal form has resulted. It is evident, 
then, that we gather the meaning of what 
is said, as much, if not more, from the 
sound of the speech as from the words in 
which it is expressed. 

It will be seen that this must be true 
from another point of view. The ideas and 
feelings which the human mind and soul 
are capable of experiencing are manifold. 
There must be a manifold number of sym- 
bols by which these human relations may 
be named and expressed. Therefore as 
civilization advances the number of word 
symbols rapidly increases. No two words 
express the same shade of meaning, there- 
fore, an agent that is to be adequate for 
this task must be able to respond differ- 
ently for every word symbol or phrase 
symbol which the person may use. 



10 TRAINING OF THE VOICE 

This is the task that is put upon the 
voice. If it is to convey ideas and emo- 
tions perfectly it must be able to respond 
differently every time the expression to 
be uttered differs. When, then, the per- 
sonality is under the influence of a complex 
flow of ideas and emotions, it will be seen 
that the voice must be a very efficient or- 
gan if it is to express this complexity to 
those who are to hear. 

The various qualities which the voice 
lias at its command for expressing thought 
and feeling have been somewhat explained. 
They are pitch movement, time rate, pu- 
rity or impurity of tone, volume, reso- 
nance, broad, full, narrow tones, and color. 

In the matter of pitch it is found that 
the voice is capable of producing from 
twelve to twenty pitches according to the 
musical scale. But between the fixed 
pitches of the musical scale there are many 
pitches which the voice is capable of pro- 
ducing. These finer shades of pitch the 
speaking voice, when well developed, is 
continually using, although the singing 
voice uses, seldom, any but those indicated 



TRAINING OF THE VOICE 11 

on the musical scale. If the voice is ca- 
pable of using but eight or ten or twelve 
pitches when it might use the full musical 
range of sixteen to twenty after careful 
training, it is patent that such a voice is 
inefficient. There will come thoughts that 
will demand for their expression a higher 
pitch or a lower pitch, or a finer shade of 
pitch, than the voice is capable of produc- 
ing. This means that in speech such a 
voice will express much less effectively 
than it would with an increased number of 
pitches. Great flexibility of voice is to be 
sought earnestly so that this agent of ex- 
pression may tell all that ought to be told. 
Turn to any one of the poems in Chapter 
VII. Bead it through several times 
thoughtfully and it will be evident that 
great variety of pitch will be necessary to 
an adequate and really effective vocal 
reading of the poem. 

Differences of ideas are also expressed 
through varying time rate. One thought 
will demand a much greater rapidity of 
utterance than will another. Study the 
movement of these lines : 



12 TRAINING OF THE VOICE 

Haste thee, nymph, and bring with thee 
Jest and youthful Jollity, 
Quips, and cranks, and wanton wiles, 
Nods, and becks and wreathed smiles, 
Such as hang on Hebe's cheek, 
And love to live in dimple sleek; 
Sport that wrinkled Care derides 
And Laughter holding both his sides. 
Come, and trip it as you go 
On the light fantastic toe. 

It will be observed that this bit of 
poetry has a most delightfully tripping 
movement in it, imitating the light, grace- 
ful, tripping movement of the feet in 
dancing. Successful vocal expression de- 
mands great flexibility of voice to secure 
the rapid changes of pitch demanded, and 
also fine flexibility of the agents of articu- 
lation, — tongue, lips, etc. If neither the 
voice nor the articulatory agents can move 
with the fine ease and rapidity needed, 
that is, if they are inefficient, then it fol- 
lows that the speaker fails in securing as 
effective oral reading of the poem as it 
is the right of poetry to have. For this 



TRAINING OF THE VOICE 13 

matter of time rate compare the rate of 
utterance demanded in the reading of 
Edgar Allan Poe's "The Bells,' ' and 
" Thanatopsis, ' ' by William Cullen Bry- 
ant, both in Chapter VII. 

A pure tone is one in which there is no 
breathiness. A tone which is breathy has 
in it somewhat of the quality of a whis- 
per. Scientifically speaking, a breathy 
tone is one in which part of the air passes 
the vocal cords without being vocalized. 
Many kinds of emotion demand a breathy 
tone if there is to be true expression. 
Fear, hate, distrust, and others belong to 
this class. By far the greater portion of 
speech, however, demands purity of tone. 
Select any poem from the voice selections, 
or any of the speeches in the book of Prac- 
tice Selections, and read them aloud two 
or three times, increasing the breathiness 
of the tone each time, and it will be seen 
how greatly the effectiveness of the speak- 
ing is marred by the breathy quality. A 
voice that is habitually breathy cannot 
hope, then, to be as expressive as one that 
is thoroughly pure, tonally. 



14 TRAINING OF THE VOICE 

It is not necessary to dwell to any ex- 
tent upon the differing degrees of volume 
necessary to adequate expressiveness of 
voice. This one observation needs to be 
made, perhaps. Many find it difficult to 
use large volume without injury to the 
vocal apparatus. The voice breaks down 
under its continued use. Many men en- 
tering public life have found this true, to 
their sorrow. Then again, without train- 
ing, few find themselves able to use very 
small volumes of tone which must be used 
in the finer, sweeter and tenderer types of 
speech, without the loss of purity of tone. 
The loss of purity means that many w T ill 
not hear the speech, for the impure tones 
do not carry well; and means, further, 
that the expression suffers, for many 
types of speech cannot be adequately 
expressed by the whispered or the breathy 
tone. 

The voice must be capable, also, of using 
either round, full tones, or narrow ones 
according to the nature of the thought or 
feeling to be conveyed. Compare the fol- 
lowing excerpts: 



TRAINING OF THE VOICE 15 

"The ocean old, 
Centuries old, 
Strong as youth, and as uncontrolled, 
Paced restless to and fro, 
Up and down the sands of gold." 

"I hate him, for he is a Christian." 

It will be realized at once that the first 
quotation will demand far fuller, broader, 
rounder tones for its expression than does 
the second. An attempt to speak the sec- 
ond with the same qualities of tones used 
in the utterance of the first, or vice versa, 
establishes the principle. An accomplished 
voice must be able to respond immedi- 
ately with such size of tone as the thought 
may require. 

Color of tone is a term used to describe 
a practically indefinable quality of the 
human voice. It is a characteristic which 
is ever changing, in the well trained 
voice, with every shade of thought 
and emotion. Color is that quality of 
voice which assists the hearer in determin- 
ing the emotional mood of the speaker. 



16 TRAINING OF THE VOICE 

All recognize the tone of love, of tender- 
ness, of sympathy, of fear, of pain. Each 
emotion produces a different quality in the 
voice aside from pitch and size. It uncon- 
sciously comes into the tone; we never 
plan to call it into being. But this is to be 
said, that the more perfectly the vocal in- 
strument is trained, the more finely, in- 
stantly and fully does the color of the tone 
manifest itself, thus greatly adding to the 
effectiveness of the utterance. 

It appears clear, then, that effectiveness 
of speech is very dependent upon vocal 
efficiency. 

GOOD VOICES DUE TO TRAINING. 

Frequently it has been asked, "But is 
not a remarkable voice born rather than 
made?" The reply always is that while 
perhaps the most remarkable voices are 
born and not made, yet even they are after 
a manner made, for without the discipline 
and the training which they have all passed 
through they would never have appeared 
to the world as remarkable voices. It is the 
author's privilege to observe and judge on 



TRAINING OF THE VOICE 17 

the average of close to three hundred voices 
every year and it is his conviction that while 
perhaps natively wonderful voices may be 
rare, really excellent native voices are com- 
mon. The point is not that good voices are 
rare, but that few voices are used correctly, 
and being used incorrectly they appear to 
be poor, or even very bad voices. Experi- 
ence shows again and again that that voice 
which appears at first hearing as very, very 
poor is really a very excellent voice after it 
has been brought into correct use through 
proper training and discipline. 

Again it may be said that one cannot 
train a voice by means of the printed text, 
and the author agrees that this is true, 
but it is believed true also that the printed 
page may state much and give such ex- 
ercises as will be of decided benefit to 
the earnest student. While through the 
printed lesson it may be impossible 
to give to the human voice the highest 
training, it is possible through this means 
to make the voice a much better instrument 
for the expression of ideas and feelings 
and purposes than it now is. Therefore, 



18 TRAINING OF THE VOICE 

acting upon this conviction the author 
has no hesitancy in putting before the stu- 
dent in the following pages some sugges- 
tions which he believes the student may 
apply with pretty fair success. 

Let this thought be ever before the stu- 
dent, however, that two points must always 
be borne in mind. If the voice is to be 
really trained there must be first, careful, 
persistent, and regular practice; second, 
results must not be expected in too short 
a time. If the voice is as wonderful an in- 
strument as has been contended, and no 
thinking individual will gainsay the conten- 
tion, then it must be agreed at once that to 
train so wonderful an instrument is not a 
matter of a few days or even a few weeks. 
But let it be observed further that while it 
may take a long time to bring this instru- 
ment to a high state of perfection, yet 
acceptable, practical results may be con- 
fidently expected within the comparatively 
short time of a few months if earnest, per- 
sistent and regular practice is held to. 

Let there be ever before the mind of the 



TKAINING OF THE VOICE 19 

student the idea that tone production is a 
scientific process in its final analysis, and, 
therefore, if we know the science governing 
tone production and will put the voice un- 
der the correct training — the correct scien- 
tific training — results may be just as scien- 
tifically guaranteed as will be found to be 
true in any other field of science, such as 
mechanics, physics, or chemistry. This is 
exactly the case. A high grade piano or 
violin or other musical instrument is high 
grade because the laws governing the 
building of that instrument have first been 
thoroughly understood, and, second, thor- 
oughly obeyed. In the same manner the 
voice is a scientific instrument and the re- 
sult of its operation will be high grade or 
otherwise in the direct degree as the scien- 
tific operation of the instrument has been 
observed. 

These scientific laws of vocal operation 
are well understood and, therefore, there 
need be but the understanding of them by 
the student and the proper practice to bring 
results that will be satisfactory at least. 

Let there be considered next the qualities 



20 TRAINING OF THE VOICE 

that one would expect to find in a normally 
excellent voice. There will be present in 
this voice, first, purity of tone; second, a 
fair degree of musical quality; third, flexi- 
bility, and, fourth, a working amount of 
power or volume. The majority of voices 
are decidedly lacking in all of these charac- 
teristics just mentioned. Voices instead of 
being pure are breathy, instead of being 
musical or resonant are hard, rasping, 
piercing, dull, and gruff in quality. In- 
stead of being flexible they are slow and 
heavy in movement, and while occasionally 
voices of power or volume are heard, in the 
main they are inadequate to the size of the 
audience and the room. 

It is thoroughly believed that, if the ex- 
ercises appended to the discussion which 
follows are faithfully and persistently 
practiced, the qualities of purity, resonance 
or musical quality, flexibility and power will 
be sure to follow. 



CHAPTER I. 

CONDITIONS AFFECTING TONE 
PRODUCTION. 

There are several conditions that must 
be established if the best results are to be 
obtained. There must be first a perfectly 
free, easy, and unrestrained action of the 
entire vocal apparatus. Tone production 
must be a thoroughly easy operation. All 
vocal faults can be traced almost invari- 
ably either to the fault of vocal effort or 
to an incorrect adjustment of the vocal ap- 
paratus. Even though the voice is used in 
a completely free manner, if there is an in- 
correct adjustment of the vocal machinery, 
if this term may be used, there will not 
follow the best voice results. 

ADJUSTMENT OF THE VOCAL 
APPARATUS. 

The following may be taken as the cor- 
rect adjustment of the tone-producing ap- 

21 



22 TEAINING OF THE VOICE 

paratus: first, a relaxed, open, and still 
throat; second, the jaw dropped comfort- 
ably low and held in this position without 
any rigidity or straining, the tongue flat in 
the mouth, the tip of the tongue resting 
gently against the lower teeth, and the lips 
rounded into a position similar to the capi- 
tal "0." 



EXERCISES FOR SECURING AN 
OPEN THROAT. 



Two exercises are suggested for secur- 
ing the open, relaxed throat. When one 
indulges in an easy and gentle yawn there 
is immediately brought about that position 
of the throat, and generally also of the 
mouth, which is the correct position for 
tone production. Frequent attention to 
this yawning process will soon teach one 
the physical sensation of an open, relaxed 
throat. One may next, by pretending that 
he has a desire to yawn gently, bring 
about in the throat the same free, open 
position. 



TKAINING OF THE VOICE 23 

Another exercise may be taken to help 
secure the open throat. Imagine there 
is a glass of water in the hand. Gently 
raise it to the lips as in the act of preparing 
to drink. If this is done easily and re- 
laxedly, it also will produce that state of 
open throat which is not only to be desired, 
but absolutely essential. It will be seen 
at once that in practicing this yawning ex- 
ercise or that of drinking, there is a drop- 
ping of the jaw. In many cases this move- 
ment will be rather stiff and there will 
not be as much of the dropping or lowering 
of the jaw as there should be. For an ade- 
quate tone production of nearly all vowels 
there ought to be the distance of at least 
two fingers between the teeth. It may be 
found necessary to massage the muscles 
around the jaw joints and underneath the 
jaw if this organ is to drop as easily as it 
should and be held as relaxed as is neces- 
sary. It may be necessary to loosen 
and free through manipulation all of the 
muscles of the throat, or rather the neck, 
both in front and back. 

The next step is to see that this position 



2i TRAINING OF THE VOICE 

is maintained during the speech. Let it 
be observed that no matter what move- 
ments the tip of the tongue and the lips 
may take the throat position is to remain 
uniformly the same throughout all types 
of articulation and pronunciation. 

EXERCISE FOR TRAINING THE 
TONGUE. 

To assist in training the tongue to its 
proper position use the following exercises. 
Let the mouth be easily closed without the 
lower teeth touching the upper. In all prob- 
ability in this position the tongue is lying 
in its normal position, namely flat in the 
mouth, the tip of the tongue resting within 
the lower teeth — not over the upper edge 
of the teeth, but gently against the inner 
side. Easily and rather quickly, without 
jerking, drop the jaw, seeing that in the 
action the tongue does not move from its 
position. Frequent practice of this exercise 
will enable the speaker to drop the jaw for 
any mode of speech without the tongue mov- 
ing from its place except, of course, when 



TEAINING OF THE VOICE 25 

it may be needed for making one of its own 
consonants, 1, t, d, s, and others. 

EXERCISES FOR SECURING POSI- 
TION OF LIPS. 

It will be found that in many, many cases 
the lips will not readily take the position 
desired. They will be held too flat against 
the teeth. The corners of the mouth will 
tend to draw tightly backward. In such 
cases it would be wise to use the fingers 
to draw the corners of the mouth toward 
the centre until the lips are puckered 
much. Frequent resort to this exercise 
will soon produce the loosening of the 
lip muscles until they will pretty read- 
ily upon demand take the position of 
the capital 0. But it must be ob- 
served further that in this position, the 
capital 0, the lips gently flare outward. 
The puckering of the lips for whistling or 
the formation of the lips in pronouncing 
very definitely the letter "w," will give 
the proper position in the start of vowel 
production. This, and the following ex- 



26 TRAINING OF THE VOICE 

ercises are to be taken without the use of 
the voice, or even a whisper. 

As a further training of the lip position 
use the syllable "wo," then "waw," then 
"wah" (the sound of "a" as in father) 
and repeat each syllable rapidly in a series 
of six or eight repetitions. Let this be done 
first without voice, using the looking glass 
to see that there is a puckering of the lips 
toward the center and that in opening into 
the vowel, the capital of the mouth is 
secured, lips are flared gently, and the cor- 
ners of the mouth kept gently from draw- 
ing back. After these vowels have been 
mastered, the remaining vowels of the 
alphabet may be practiced in the same 
manner, keeping the lip position always 
the same. The science of language shows 
that one vowel is different from another 
not by reason of any difference of lip for- 
mation, but by reason of the difference of 
tongue position ; so while there may be some 
difference in the size of the opening in the 
various vowels, there should be no real 
difference in the shape of that opening. 
One will need to continue his practice of 



TRAINING OF THE VOICE 27 

dropping the jaw until it can be done, 
without a particle of effort, to the extent of 
putting three fingers between the teeth. 
This extreme opening may not be necessary 
often, but when it is necessary one will wish 
to be able to do it without effort, thus secur- 
ing the best tone results. 

PLACING THE VOICE. 

The third requisite of correct tone pro- 
duction is the proper " placing' J of the 
voice, as it is called. Scientifically this may 
be rather difficult to explain, but prac- 
tically it is simple. Every musical tone is 
made up of what we may call the raw tone 
which is acted upon by certain surfaces 
and the air and converted into a beautiful 
musical tone. The raw tone of the voice is 
made in the larynx by the vibration of the 
air by the vocal cords. This vibrated air 
then is acted upon by the air in the chest, 
the throat, the mouth, the nasal and the 
frontal cavities, and made into a stronger 
and more beautiful tone. The last things to 
affect the human tone are the lips and, 



28 TKAINING OF THE VOICE 

therefore, we say all finished tone is to be 
placed at the lips. In the great majority 
of voices the centre of the finished tone is 
anywhere from the teeth back to the lar- 
ynx. And so our processes of training will 
assist us in bringing the finished tone to 
the lips. 

EXERCISES FOR PLACEMENT 
OF TONE. 

Under the heading, " Exercises for Se- 
curing Position of the Lips," there were 
given a small group of exercises. These 
may be made the basis of the work in tone- 
placing. The end desired is that of bring- 
ing the finished tone forward, as it is 
called, until it is localized or focused at 
the lips. The physical sensation will be 
this, that the tone seems to be created at 
and proceed from the lips. The tone will 
appear to be entirely separated from the 
vocal cords, which would naturally be the 
point, it would seem, at which the tone 
ought to be localized. 

Any physical sensation, during tone 
production, at any point in the throat is 



TRAINING OF THE VOICE 



29 



proof that the process of making the tone 
is wrong. It is desired to relieve the 
throat, and especially the vocal cords, 
from all effort, tension, rigidity and forc- 
ing. Physical sensation in the throat 
while tone is being made indicates effort, 
forcing, or some kind of activity that ought 
not to be present. Such unwarranted ac- 
tivity will mean interference with the cor- 
rect vocal action, and a subsequent poorer 
tone. If continued, there may follow 
permanent injury to the vocal cords. 
What is known as the public speaker 's and 
clergyman's sore throat is caused by this 
forcing of the vocal process. Of all cau- 
tions to remember, the most important is, 
that vocal production, whatever the vol- 
ume, must be perfectly free and easy. 

It is essential, therefore, that the voice 
user learn to localize the voice at some 
other point than at the vocal cords. Ex- 
perience has shown that this other point 
is at the edge of the lips. Since also the 
position of the lips affects the quality of 
the tone, this is found to be another reason 
for placing the voice at the lips. 



30 TRAINING OF THE VOICE 

Having mastered the exercises in the 
preceding section given for securing the 
rounded, gently puckered lip position, be- 
gin to use the same exercises for placing 
the tone at the lips. In the first use of the 
syllables there was to be no voice or whis- 
pered quality. The exercise was physical, 
pure and simple. Now use the voice. 

Take the first syllable, "wo." Use it 
three times in succession, "wo-wo-wo," 
seeing that the tone flow is continuous. 
Use the looking glass to see that the lips 
round well, that they pucker slightly, and 
that the corners of the mouth are not 
drawn back. Keep the corners of the 
mouth as still as possible, without stiff- 
ness, at all times. As each syllable is 
spoken let the voice use the rising inflec- 
tion, the pitch in general being that which 
would be used in ordinary conversa- 
tion. The rising inflection is that which 
is used in a question. Ask the question, 
"Who?" as if asking for the repetition of 
a name, in the usual pitches and there will 
be secured the typical rising inflection. 

In this same manner follow the prac- 



TRAINING OF THE VOICE 31 

tice of "wo" with "waw," "wah," 
"wou," in "wound," and "woi," as in 
" voice." During the use of the syllables 
in this manner, the student is continually 
to think the tone at the lips. He is to be- 
lieve that the mind, and not the throat nor 
the vocal cords, is making the tone. Lo- 
calize, that is, place, the tone at the lips. 
As the mind grows in its power to concen- 
trate upon this point the results will ap- 
pear more rapidly. 

Having mastered the vowels already 
given, proceed to the practice of all the 
other vowel qualities in the same manner. 
The student will soon learn when the ex- 
ercise has been mastered, for there will 
come to him a physical sensation that the 
tone actually dwells at the lips. 

Having mastered all the vowels with the 
use of the rising inflection, continue the 
practice by mastering the same vowels 
with the falling inflection. The falling in- 
flection is used in a statement, in an asser- 
tion. "I am well." In speaking this sen- 
tence the voice will use the falling inflec- 
tion upon "well." Use the same inflection 



32 TRAINING OF THE VOICE 

in practicing the vowel work of the new 
series. 

When the student thinks he has accom- 
plished the work thus set forth fairly well, 
he may continue the practice for placement 
by taking some of the sentences, the 
shorter ones first, and practicing them 
with the idea of localizing the tones at the 
lips. In this new work there is to be given 
no thought concerning the inflections. 
Compel the brain to recognize the thought, 
and to create the thought as the voice 
speaks the sentence, but as before use the 
looking glass to see that the lips are form- 
ing the mould correctly, and also see that 
the mind is thinking the tones at the lips. 
Daily practice of this work will in due 
time bring about an instinctive placement 
of the tone at the proper point. 

After the sentences have been practiced 
sufficiently, the student may use an entire 
stanza or paragraph. After a while a 
habit is formed of continually giving some 
attention to this matter. 



CHAPTER II. 

CORRECT BREATHING. 

The last consideration that must be 
brought out in connection with correct tone 
production is the matter of breathing. 
Great confusion has existed in the minds 
of many concerning the true method of 
breathing for tone production, but it may 
be confidently asserted that among the best 
teachers of both the singing and the speak- 
ing voice the general agreement is that the 
proper method of breathing established by 
nature for health is identically the same 
method for tone production, and anat- 
omists and physiologists have called this 
system of breathing the diaphragmatic. 

This mode of breathing is called the dia- 
phragmatic from the fact that the center 
of its control is established in the dia- 
phragm. The diaphragm is a large muscle 
dividing the thorax, or upper cavity, of the 

33 



34 TRAINING OF THE VOICE 

body from the abdominal cavity. At rest 
it resembles an inverted basin. The cir- 
cumference of the diaphragm is attached 
to the inner wall of the body. Its location 
may easily be ascertained by placing the 
hand over the soft spot a few inches di- 
rectly below the breast bone. If the hand 
is placed over the pit of the stomach, it 
would be in proper position to note the ac- 
tion of the diaphragm in the breathing 
process. 

PROCESS OF HEALTH BREATHING. 

This process is as follows: It was said 
that the diaphragm at rest and relaxed is 
like an inverted basin. "When an inhalation 
of breath is made, this large muscle begins 
to flatten itself and in so doing presses for- 
ward the edge of the diaphragm at its point 
of contact with the wall of the body. As a 
natural consequence there is an expansion 
of the wall of the body — an expansion 
which is readily felt if the palm is placed at 
the point indicated above. This expansion 
©f the wall of the body begins at the very 



TRAINING OF THE VOICE 35 

instant of inhalation directly in the centre 
of the front wall. The expansion continues 
until the entire circumference of the body 
has participated in it, but it will be observed 
in tracing the expansion from the front to 
the backbone that the amount of expansion 
decreases the nearer the backbone is 
approached. This is due to the fact that 
from the sides to the backbone the attach- 
ment of the diaphragm to the wall of the 
body shows the presence of more of muscle 
and of cartilage. At the very back there is 
the backbone with all of its muscles and ten- 
dons. At the front wall of the body there 
is very little of the accompanying muscle 
or cartilage, and as the floating or lower 
ribs are unattached to the breast bone, this 
provides for the possibility of very great 
expansion of the wall of the body in the 
front. 

Accompanying this expansion at the cir- 
cumference of the diaphragm there will 
also be an expansion of the entire chest be- 
ginning at the diaphragm and passing up- 
ward. It will be noted, and carefully noted, 
that there must be no upward movement of 



36 TRAINING OF THE VOICE 

the chest. The law is that the chest is to 
be held high and free and flexible in the full- 
est inhalation of breath. When the lungs 
are expanded to their capacity there will be 
practically no raising of the chest wall if 
it is held normally high. 

This is what is meant properly by the 
term deep breathing : Beginning at the dia- 
phragm there is an expansion of the entire 
torso, reaching to the chest. In the exhala- 
tion there is a gradual receding of the ex- 
pansion that has been secured. The center 
of the receding movement, however, is the 
same as the center of the expansive move- 
ment, namely, the diaphragm. In both in- 
halation and exhalation the diaphragm is 
the governing agent and it needs to be 
brought under such intelligent control of 
the mind and will that the supply of air 
given to the vocal cords will be properly 
conditioned to the particular type of speech 
involved. 

One further point needs to be made if 
the voice is to create volume with safety 
to the vocal cords and with the preservation 
of a pleasing quality, and if it is to stand 



TRAINING OF THE VOICE 37 

the strain of a long period of speaking. It 
must have what is called support. As has 
been said the diaphragm is the muscle con- 
trolling the entire breathing situation, but 
it is not alone in that control. It in turn is 
aided by other muscles. Directly under the 
diaphragm, at its front circumference, are 
two sets of muscles attached to both the 
diaphragm and the wall of the body. These 
muscles are called the transversalis and 
obliqui muscles. 

These are the supporting muscles, acting 
according to the degree of power and 
steadiness needed by the voice. The dia- 
phragm contracts or strengthens itself 
without rigjdity, and immediately begins to 
press down upon the transversalis and 
obliqui muscles, which in turn contract and 
strengthen themselves and begin to press 
up, thus affording a support to the dia- 
phragm. 

BREATHING FOR TONE PRODUC- 
TION. 

This, then, is the process of breathing for 
tone production : 



38 TRAINING OF THE VOICE 

"When there is a desire to speak an inhal- 
ation of breath is made, and the diaphragm 
contracting flattens itself, bringing about 
an expansion of the wall of the body ac- 
cording to the amount of air inhaled. This 
expansion continues upward from the dia- 
phragmatic region to the chest. When the 
desired amount of air is secured the exhala- 
tion does not begin immediately as in health 
breathing. The diaphragm stops its con- 
tracting and downward movement, and 
practically speaking, holds itself still in 
that position, at the same instant the sup- 
porting muscles, the transversalis and 
obliqui, directly under the diaphragm con- 
tract themselves permitting the strong dia- 
phragm to rest upon them, and then, they 
gently or more vigorously, and slowly or 
more rapidly, force the diaphragm up. 
This action whereby the diaphragm, slowly 
or rapidly, easily or vigorously, is forced 
up is the mode whereby the breath is sup- 
plied to the vocal apparatus for the produc- 
tion of the tone or speech. 



BREATHING EXERCISES. 
NO. 1. 

Stand with the back to the wall touching 
the wall at every point possible from the 
back of the head to the heels. See that the 
chest is held high, that the shoulder blades 
touch the wall. If this condition is brought 
about the abdominal w T all will recede and 
become fiat. The higher the chest is held, 
the flatter the abdominal wall will become. 
Let hands hang easily, relaxedly at the 
sides. Now place palm of one hand over the 
stomach directly below the breast bone, the 
soft spot which is easily discovered ; exhale 
all the air possible, seeing that there is no 
sinking or lowering of the chest wall, but at 
the same time that there is an inward move- 
ment of the wall of the body under the palm. 

Now begin an inhalation easily and 
smoothly, seeing that the expansion of the 
body begins directly underneath the palm 
below the breast bone. If the expansion 

39 



40 TRAINING OF THE VOICE 

does not begin there, keep persistently at 
the practice until it does begin there, be- 
cause there can be no proper breathing 
method that does not have its beginning 
with the diaphragm ; and this will be indi- 
cated by the expansion of the circumference 
as already explained. 

When it is sure that there is this 
beginning of the expansion at the point 
indicated, it will need to be noted next 
that in exhalation the wall of the body 
recedes. 

When this habit of expansion and con- 
traction has been thoroughly established 
with a very medium supply of air, continue 
the practice until there has been brought 
about the expansion of the whole upper 
torso. It must be observed, however, that 
in the completest inhalation there is no 
upward movement of the chest wall, and in 
the exhalation no sinking of the chest wall. 
It must be further observed that when the 
lungs have filled to their capacity there is 
brought about no stiffness or rigidity of 
the muscles of the chest, or neck, or sides. 
See that in all of this inhalation and exhala- 



TRAINING OF THE VOICE 41 

tion the movement is smooth, steady ami 
controlled. 

NO. 2. 
Take the standing position indicated in 
exercise one, away from the wall, however, 
and with the weight of the body poised 
gently forward on the balls of the feet. 
Inhale, noting by test of the hand, that 
there is the proper expansion at the proper 
point. Taking but a normal breath in this 
inhalation, do not permit the exhalation 
to begin at once. Hold the breath for a f ew 
seconds, seeing that the breath is held by 
preventing the diaphragm from receding 
and not by stiffening and tightening the 
muscles in the throat. Care must be taken 
at this point to free the throat from any 
inclination to retain the breath. Let it be 
remembered always, at all times, there 
must be the open, relaxed, and still throat. 
Now noting that the diaphragm has not re- 
ceded and thus has prevented any breath 
from being exhaled, see how slowly you can 
permit the breath to be exhaled by a 
smooth, steady, relaxation of the dia- 
phragm. 



42 TRAINING OF THE VOICE 

NO. 3. 

After securing position take a nor- 
mally large breath. Hold a moment at the 
diaphragmatic center, exhale part of the 
air, hold again with the diaphragm, exhale 
again, hold again, then exhale the re- 
mainder of air not suddenly, but smoothly, 
and controlledly. Continue this exercise 
until a fairly large inhalation is exhaled 
with at least five controlled interruptions. 

NO. 4. 

Take your position, inhale a somewhat 
more than ordinary amount of air and let 
the air be expelled this time slowly and 
steadily in the following manner: Pucker 
the lips until there is a very small opening 
and press the air through that opening 
with some little force seeing that that force 
is supplied at the diaphragmatic center and 
not by any muscles in the throat. 

NO. 5. 

Correct standing position, inhale, hold 
the diaphragm, pucker the lips, expel the 
air in three short puffs as if you were blow- 



TRAINING OF THE VOICE 43 

ing out a candle. See that the power for 
this expulsion of air comes from the dia- 
phragm assisted by the supporting muscles 
and not by the throat. 

NO. 6. 

Proper position, inhale, hold, press the 
air out now rather rapidly through the 
puckered position in one continuous stream. 

NO. 7. 

Correct position, inhale fully, pucker the 
lips, expel the air very forcefully in three 
to five expulsions. 

NO. 8. 

Take the preceding exercises indicated 
with the puckered lips in the same man- 
ner except that now the mouth position 
should be that of a gentle yawn, the teeth 
separated the distance of between two and 
three fingers. These exercises if persist- 
ently practiced will establish a proper con- 
trol of the air column for speech. 

Exercise, perhaps, ought to be given as 
a means of strengthening the diaphragm. 



44 TKAHsTING OF THE VOICE 

Assume the correct standing position, 
place the hand over the diaphragm and 
without any inhalation of air, by means of 
a sudden contraction of the diaphragm 
press the hand away. Relax immediately. 
Do this a number of times until you have 
a complete will control of the diaphragm. 

Next press the diaphragm down and out 
as in the preceding exercises, but instead 
of relaxing at once, hold the diaphragm 
strongly at first. Hold it in this position 
for a few seconds, but as you practice 
from week to week increase the length of 
the holding to several seconds, at the same 
time putting greater and greater strength 
into the contraction of the diaphragm. 

If the foregoing exercises have been 
mastered the application to speech will 
be comparatively easy. Breath will be 
taken at every pause. The length of the 
succeeding phrase will, together with the 
power desired, determine the amount of 
air to be needed and the degree of pressure 
by the controlling muscles in order that 
there may be a correct air supply. 

In smooth, steady speech, there will have 



TBAINLNG OF THE VOICE 45 

to be a smooth, evenly controlled supply 
of air; in a phrase or sentence where the 
volume grows as the speech proceeds, there 
will have to be a greater supply of air, 
secured through a more rapid and stronger 
pressure of the controlling muscles. In the 
so-called explosive utterance, the breath is 
supplied to the vocal apparatus in larger 
quantity, and with much greater rapidity 
and force, by a very quick muscular pres- 
sure. 

It is to be always remembered that vol- 
ume can be safely developed only as there 
has been secured, first, purity of tone; 
second, a thoroughly relaxed throat with 
the proper support of the controlling 
muscles, and third, the placement of the 
tone at the lips. 



CHAPTER III. 

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF TONE 
PEODUCTION. 

Already, in the exercises given for tone 
placement, it has been suggested that the 
making of the tone is not governed en- 
tirely by the physical processes, — that 
tone is not a thing entirely produced by 
mechanical operation. 

There is a school of voice teachers who 
maintain that tone production is wholly a 
matter of correct action of the tone pro- 
ducing apparatus. There is another school 
which maintains that tone is wholly a mat- 
ter of proper thought. One of the teach- 
ers of this latter school has written that 
one who can think a beautiful tone can 
make it, without giving any attention to 
those matters which have been set forth in 
the discussion and the exercises of this 
treatise. 

46 



TRAINING OF THE VOICE 47 

The author cannot believe completely 
with either school. It cannot be success- 
fully proven that a musical tone can be 
made under whatever adjustment and op- 
eration the vocal apparatus may take. The 
scientific adjustment and action of the vo- 
cal organs are necessary if excellent tone is 
to result. 

It is also true that the mind plays a very 
large part in this process. There can be 
no question of the fact that when the 
mind thinks a quality of tone the vocal ap- 
paratus tends to adjust itself for the mak- 
ing of that quality. But if through long 
use of incorrect adjustments and opera- 
tions these adjustments and operations 
have become fixed, thoroughly habitual, it 
will be found that the conception by the 
mind of a beautiful tone is not sufficient to 
bring about that adjustment which will 
make a beautiful tone. It is then that there 
is made necessary the use of the methods 
of mechanics. When through conscious 
attention and continued practice there 
has been fixed the correct adjustment and 
operation, then the whole situation may be 



48 TKAINING OF THE VOICE 

controlled through the mind's demanding 
a quality of tone rather than a given me- 
chanical operation. It is believed, further, 
though, that it will be necessary that a con- 
tinual watchfulness of the adjustment and 
operation be maintained. Wrong habits 
easily assert and fix themselves. Even 
when seemingly conquered these habits 
may again assert themselves with but lit- 
tle encouragement. 

It will be wise, therefore, for the student 
to make a practice of listening to tones, 
human and those produced by musical in- 
struments, that he may develop a sense of 
what good tone is, and learn to make intel- 
ligent discriminations between that which 
is good, and that which is poor. It will be 
particularly of use to fix in the mind the 
qualities of fine musical tone. As the mind 
learns to know what is satisfactory mu- 
sical tone there will become fixed for the 
student a standard of excellent speech 
tones, for an acceptable speech tone will 
have the same qualities that an acceptable 
musical tone possesses — purity, fullness, 
resonance, softness and richness, flexibility 



TRAINING OF THE VOICE 49 

and brilliance. What cannot the human 
voice express with these qualities at its 
call! 

When there has been developed in the 
mind a standard of musical tone this 
standard will be demanded by the will as 
the tone is made. When the physical op- 
erations of tone production can do so they 
will respond correctly and give forth the 
standard asked, but when the adjustment 
and operation do not come spontaneously 
into correct action, then it will be nec- 
essary for the student to set his mind upon 
securing these and nothing else. Thus the 
two forces will work hand in hand, bring- 
ing about in a reasonable length of time a 
reformation of the vocal quality. 

Let the mind ever think of the qualities 
of tone desired; let the student think the 
tone at the lips ; let the mind think relaxa- 
tion of the entire vocal apparatus ; let the 
mind thinl: tone control; and so on to the 
end. When through the vocal practice a sat- 
isfactory quality of tone has been secured, 
it is a simple matter to carry these same 
qualities into one's speech, for by this time 



50 TRAINING OF THE VOICE 

vocal habits of the correct type have been 
fixed, and the speaker can give his entire 
attention to thought and feeling with the 
confidence that proper tones will follow 
spontaneously. Vocal efficiency will then 
mean speech effectiveness. 



CHAPTER IV. 

PRACTICE OF THE VOICE 
EXERCISES. 

After the vowels have been mastered 
through the exercises provided in the pre- 
ceding discussion, 1 the student is ready to 
take up the practice of the following sen- 
tences and phrases. 

The first caution is to remember that 
one is not speaking words, but phrases. 
The units of speech and of tone production 
are identical, namely, the phrase. The 
length of the phrase is decided, not by the 
punctuation, but by the thought relations. 
This was pretty thoroughly discussed here- 
tofore 

The phrase, then, is the unit of voice, 
and the phrase from the standpoint of 
tone production is but a group of sylla- 
bles, and it is to be spoken as a word of a 
number of syllables is spoken, that is, with 



i Exercises for Placement, page 24. 
51 



52 TKAINING OF THE VOICE 

a smooth, close grouping of the syllables, 
thus preventing any break in the flow of 
tone within the phrase. The breath is to 
be taken at the end of every phrase. 

As each exercise is taken, determine first 
what the thought is ; before beginning the 
speech see that there is an easy control of 
a comfortable breath; that the throat is 
well open and relaxed; let the mind focus, 
that is, localize, the tone at the lips ; see to 
it that the lips are rounded well, and form 
the consonants cleanly ; speak in the usual 
middle pitches of the voice, and finally, let 
the mind demand free, easy changes of pitch 
called modulations. The nature of the 
thought will determine these modulations. 

See that the exercises are repeatedly 
practiced, each exercise over and over 
again. The secret of education is repeti- 
tion. "When the exercise is a short one 
fifty thoughtful and careful repetitions 
would be none too much. However, it will 
not be wise at the start to practice too 
long at one period. Fifteen minutes will 
be a sufficient period of vocal practice at 
the beginning. 



TRAINING OF THE VOICE 53 

Do not forget as the practice of the 
short sentences is taken up, to compel the 
mind to focus the tone at the lips. Watch 
that the lips assume the correct mould, 
and do not let the corners of the mouth 
draw back to any extent. 

Watch always that the open, relaxed, 
and still throat is maintained during the 
sentence practice. If this condition can 
be mastered in these exercises it is mas- 
tered for all voice production. Let the 
mind take particular pains to demand the 
open throat upon the more easy vowels, — 
o, ah, aw, and the diphthongs ou and oi. 

PHRASES AND SENTENCES FOR 

PRACTICE, TO SECURE PURITY 

AND RESONANCE. 

Then Heaven tries Earth if it be in tune, 
And over it softly her warm ear lays. 

We sit in the warm shade. 

Whether we look, or whether we listen. 

Over our manhood. 

Not only around our infancy. 



54 TRAINING OP THE VOICE 

Where the ships with their wavering 
shadows were riding at anchor. 

What one had was another's. 

Under the open sky, in the odorous air of 
the orchard. 

Shadow and light from the leaves alter- 
nately played on his snow-white 
hair. 

Glowed like a living coal. 

Merrily, merrily whirled the wheels of the 
dizzying dances. 

With a summons sonorous. 

Over the meadows a drum beat. 

Without waited the women. 

Food fresh from the forest. 

Made of marble ; men might march on nor 

be pressed, twelve abreast. 
Slowly the ponderous portal closed. 

When the air is serene in the sultry solstice 

of summer. 
Stanza ten in " Exile of Acadians." 
Silent a moment they stood in speechless 

wonder. 



CHAPTER V. 

TO SECURE DISTINCT ARTICULA- 

TION WITH SMOOTHNESS 

OF UTTERANCE. 

The following groups of words and sen- 
tences are to be used to acquire a clean- 
cut, flexible, free and perfectly smooth 
consonant articulation. Someone has said 
that in proper speech there is a flow of tone 
produced by the vowels, with the con- 
sonants as islands in the stream of tone. 
The consonants must be heard, but they 
must not be allowed to cut into and inter- 
rupt the flow of tone. "While paying par- 
ticular attention to the consonants, the stu- 
dent must not fail to apply the instructions 
given for the preceding sentences. Give 
each group of words as if they formed a 
single phrase ; do not give them one word 
at a time. 

Bold, hailed, tolled, scold. 
Elf, wolf, gulf, sylph, health. 

55 



56 TKAINING OF THE VOICE 

Milk, silk, bulk, hulk, sulk. 
Elm, helm, whelm, film, whilst. 
Help, gulp, alp, scalp, halp. 
Falls, tells, toils, halls, stalls. 
Fault, melt, bolt, hilt, silt. 
Elve, delve, revolve, resolve. 
Maim'd, claim 'd, gloom 'd, doom'd. 
Streams, gleams, climes, stems. 
Land, band, and, hand, gland, strand. 
Dens, runs, gains, gleans, weans. 
Bank, dank, sank, link, trink, slink. 
Dance, glance, hence, advance, trance. 
Ant, want, gaunt, point, voice, groin. 
Chasm, schism, prison, listen, glisten. 
Asp, clasp, grasp, fast, passed. 
Vast, mast, lest, vest, vestiture. 
Act, fact, reject, select. 
Able, Bible, double, trouble. 
Ample, triple, topple, bubble. 
TroubPd, bubbl'd, doubl'd, mumbPd. 
CradPd, saddPd, idPd, bridPd. 
Arm'st, charm 'st, grow'st, bestow 'st. 

Benjamin Bramble Blimber, a blunder- 
ing banker, borrowed the baker's birchen 
broom to brush the blinding cobwebs from 
his brain. 



TRAINING OF THE VOICE 57 

That fellow shot a minnow on a willow, 
in a narrow meadow, near the yellow 
house. 

Surely slowness and slovenliness should 
be shunned. 

Masses of immense magnitude move ma- 
jestically through the vast empire of the 
solar system. 

Three thousand soldiers thoughtlessly 
threw themselves away. 

"Amidst the mists with angry boasts, 
He thrusts his fists against the posts, 
And still insists he sees the ghosts." 

Two toads tried to trot to Tedburg. 

The bleak breeze blighted the bright 
broom blossoms. 

Give Grimes Jim's great gilt gig whip. 

"My weak words have struck but thus 
much show of fire." 



5S TRAINING OF THE VOICE 

If a plaid-clad caddy laddie 's daddy had a 

fad for adding, 
Would the plaid-clad caddy laddie 's daddy 

be an adder? 
And if the plaid-clad caddy laddie addled 

daddy in his adding, 
Would the plaid-clad laddie 's daddy make 

the plaid-clad caddy laddie sadder? 

" Men's manners, more than merit, make 
or mar their fortunes/ ' 

"Vice often wears variegated velvet, 
while virtue walks in vulgar velveteen.' ' 

"A figure regal-like, with solemn march, 
Goes slow and stately by, whilst they, 

distilled 
Almost to jelly with the act of fear, 
Stand dumb, and speak not to him. ' ' 

"In this — God's — world, with its wild, 
whirling eddies and mad foam oceans, 
where men and nations perish as if without 
law, dost thou think there is therefore no 
justice?" 



TRAINING OF THE VOICE 59 

Benjamin Brown brought the book. 

Both brown beauties bit the black bait. 

Value virtue highly. 

Brawny brown brutes bounded back, 
breaking the big bridge. 

Pictures of palaces please the eye. 

Be bold, be bold, be not too bold. 

Poverty and pride are poor companions. 

Many men are misled by fame. 

Bind boughs upon his brow. 

Much learning hath made thee mad. 

Milestones mark the march of time. 

Basely they bound him to the beach. 

Various views are valuable. 

Vile villains vent their vengeance. 

Pickwick Papers, Part First. 

The measure of man is mind. 

Through the thin cloth the thief thrust 
thorns. 

Thick and thicker fell the hail. 

Tie taut the tent and test it. 

Double double, toil and trouble. 

Fire burn and cauldron bubble. 

Bring a bit of buttered brown bran 
bread. 

A big black bug bit a big black bear. 



/ 



60 TRAINING OF THE VOICE 

Ponto, the puppy, puffing uninterrupt- 
edly, jumped up on the top of the porch. 

Pluma placed a pewter platter on a pile 
of plates. 

Up a high hill he heaved a huge, round 
stone. 

The glassy glaciers gleamed in glowing 
light. 

It raineth and then it ceaseth to rain. 

The listlessness and laziness of the friv- 
olous. 

Many unmanageable monsters, married 
to magnanimous men, make much mischief. 

Eound the rough and rugged rocks the 
ragged rascal ran. 

Flags fluttered fretfully from foreign 
fortifications and fleets. 

The stripling stranger strayed straight 
toward the struggling stream. 

When William went west where Wheeler 
was working, we wished we were where we 
could watch him. 

Tom treated the delicate subject touch- 
ingly, tenderly and tactfully. 
Now from the country around, from the 
farms and the neighboring hamlets, 



TRAINING OF THE VOICE 61 

Came in their holiday dresses the blithe 

Acadian peasants. 
Many a glad good-morrow and jocund laugh 

from the young folk 
Made the bright air brighter, as up from 

the numerous meadows, 
Where no path could be seen but the track 

of wheels in the greensward, 
Group after group appeared, and joined, 

or passed on the highway. 

— Longfellow. 



CHAPTER VI. 

SHORT EXERCISES FOR PURITY OF 

TONE, EASY PHRASING AND 

DISTINCT ARTICULATION. 

The next thirteen excerpts are to be 
used in the applying to a few sentences, 
either prose or poetic, the suggestions 
made in the two preceding groups of exer- 
cises. Always must the students deter- 
mine: first, what the thought is; second, 
how that thought determines the phrasing. 
These two matters being fixed upon, pro- 
ceed with the practice, bearing in mind the 
suggestions for open throat, placement, 
breath supply, and ease and flexibility of 
modulations. The student will need to 
carry in his mind all the time the ideal 
voice which he desires to acquire. 

When there has been satisfactory prac- 
tice of these excerpts as voice exercises, 
speak them several times to an imaginary 

62 



TBAINISTG OF THE VOICE 63 

audience, thinking of conveying to the au- 
dience the sense and the feeling, and giv- 
ing but slight attention to matters of voice. 
Let the ear give enough attention to the 
vocal quality that it may detect any poor 
quality. If such there be, emphasize prac- 
tice upon that point of failure until it is 
mastered, and then speak the same exer- 
cise as a speech. Keep at it until the 
defective part has been eliminated. 

Our minds are like certain vehicles, when 
they have little to carry they make much 
noise about it, but when heavily loaded 
they run quietly .—Elihu Burritt. 

Were I so tall to reach the pole, 
Or grasp the ocean with my span, 

I must be measured by my soul : 
The mind's the standard of the man. 

—Dr. Watts. 

There is a tide in the affairs of men, 
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to 

fortune ; 
Omitted, all the voyage of their life 
Is bound in shallows, and in miseries; 



64 TKAINING OF THE VOICE 

i 

And we must take the current when it 

serves, 
Or lose our ventures. 

— Shakespeare. 

A certain amount of opposition is a 
great help to a man. Kites rise against 
and not with the wind. Even a head wind 
is better than none. No man ever worked 
his passage anywhere in a dead calm. Let 
no man wax pale, therefore, because of 
opposition. — John Neal. 

Of all the causes that conspire to blind 
Man's erring judgment, and misguide the 

mind, 
What the weak head with strongest bias 

rules, 
Is pride, the never-failing vice of fools. 

— Pope. 

If you wish success in life make perse- 
verance your bosom friend, experience 
your wise counsellor, caution your elder 
brother, and hope your guardian genius. 

— Addison. 



TRAINING OF THE VOICE 65 

1 * To all the prize is open ; 
But only he can take it 
Who says, with Boman courage, 
' I '11 find a way, or make it ! ' " 

11 Think for thyself — one good idea, 
But known to be thine own, 
Is better than a thousand gleaned 
From fields by others sown." 

No man is without some quality, by the 
due application of which he might deserve 
well of the world ; and whoever he be that 
has but little in his power should be in 
haste to do that little, lest he be confounded 
with him that can do nothing. — Dr. John- 
son. 

Work with your hands, work with your 

mind, 
Just as your nature has fitly designed ; 
Build ye a temple, hew out a stone, 
Do ye a work, just to call it your own. 
Write out a thought — to lighten the labor 
Of that one who reads it, it may be your 

neighbor. 
Work, as each day hastens away, 



66 TRAINING OF THE VOICE 

Bearing along the bright and the gay ; 
Live out a life of excellent worth, 
Having bestowed on the source of your 

birth 
Garlands in works, to brighten the earth! 

— Henry Proverb. 

The law of the harvest is to reap more 
than you sow. Sow an act, and you reap a 
habit; sow a habit, and you reap a char- 
acter; sow a character, and you reap a 
destiny. — G. D. Boardman. 

We live in deeds, not years; in thoughts, 

not breaths; 
In feelings, not in figures on a dial. 
We should count time by heart-throbs. He 

most lives, 
Who thinks most, feels the noblest, acts the 

best. 

— Bailey. 

i ' The ocean old, 
Centuries old, 
Strong as youth, and as uncontrolled, 
Paces restless to and fro, 
Up and down the sands of gold." 



CHAPTER VII. 

EXERCISES TO SECUEE FLEXI- 
BILITY. 

The following poems are lyric in nature. 
They possess a very tripping, free, and 
rhythmical movement. The practice vocally 
of these poems should bring a far greater 
freedom, ease, and flexibility to the voice. 
Because of the meter and rhythm of the 
poetry the student will need to see clearly 
the thought values, if he is to avoid a sing- 
song utterance. It must be remembered 
also that a pause is not necessarily to be 
made at the end of each line. If the thought 
runs over into the next line the pause is 
omitted. As in prose so in poetry, — the 
pause comes at the end of the phrase unit, 
regardless of line or punctuation. Stu- 
dents will need also to feel the sense of 
the poetic spirit of the poem. When a 
word or a phrase stands for a feeling 
rather than a fact, let the emotional nature 

67 



68 TKAINING OF THE VOICE 

experience that feeling. For instance, in 
the poem by Wordsworth, c ' The Daffodils ' y 
there occur the two lines, 

Continuous as the stars that shine 
And twinkle on the milky way. 

To the reader these two lines must come 
as more than a fact. He is to feel all 
the beauty, the brilliance, the throb, the 
sparkle, and the mystery suggested by the 
milky way. 

L 'ALLEGRO. 

Haste thee, nymph, and bring with thee 

Jest and youthful Jollity, 

Quips, and cranks, and wanton wiles, 

Nods, and becks, and wreathed smiles, 

Such as hang on Hebe 's cheek, 

And love to live in dimple sleek; 

Sport, that wrinkled Care derides, 

And Laughter holding both his sides. 

Come, and trip it as you go 

On the light fantastic toe ; 

And in thy right hand lead with thee 

The mountain nymph, sweet Liberty ; 

And, if I give thee honour due, 



TRAINING OF THE VOICE 69 

Mirth, admit me of thy crew, 
To live with her, and live with thee, 
In unreproved pleasures free ; 
To hear the lark begin his flight, 
And singing startle the dull night, 
From his watch-tower in the skies, 
Till the dappled dawn doth rise; 

Then to come, in spite of sorrow, 
And at my window bid good-morrow, 
Through the sweet-briar, or the vine. 
Or the twisted eglantine. 

— John Milton. 



DRIFTING. 

My soul today 

Is far away, 
Sailing the Vesuvian Bay; 

My winged boat, 

A bird afloat, 
Swims round the purple peaks remote; 

Bound purple peaks 
It sails and seeks 
Blue inlets, and their crystal creeks, 



70 TRAINING OF THE VOICE 

Where high rocks throw, 
Through deeps below, 
A duplicated golden glow. 

Yon deep bark goes 

Where traffic blows, 
From lands of sun to lands of snows; 

This happier one, 

Its course is run 
From lands of snow to lands of sun. 

Oh, happy ship, 

To rise and dip, 
With the blue crystal at your lip! 

Oh, happy crew, 

My heart with you 
Sails, and sails, and sings anew! 

No more, no more 

The worldly shore 
Upbraids me with its loud uproar ! 

With dreamful eyes 

My spirit lies 
Under the walls of Paradise. 

— Thomas Buchanan Read. 



TRAINING OF THE VOICE 71 

THE DAFFODILS. 

I wander 'd lonely as a cloud 

That floats on high o'er vales and hills, 

When all at once I saw a crowd, 

A host, of golden daffodils ; 

Beside the lake, beneath the trees, 

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. 

Continuous as the stars that shine 
And twinkle on the milky way, 
They stretch 'd in never-ending line 
Along the margin of the bay : 
Ten thousand saw I at a glance, 
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance. 

The waves beside them danced ; but they 

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee : 

A poet could not but be gay, 

In such a jocund company : 

I gazed — and gazed — but little thought 

What wealth the show to me had brought : 

For oft, when on my couch I lie 
In vacant or in pensive mood, 
They flash upon that inward eye 



72 TRAINING OF THE VOICE 

Which is the bliss of solitude ; 

And then my heart with pleasure fills, 

And dances with the daffodils. 

— Wordsworth. 

HYMN TO THE NIGHT. 

I heard the trailing garments of the Night 
Sweep through her marble halls ! 

I saw her sable skirts all fringed with light 
From the celestial walls ! 

I felt her presence, by its spell of might, 

Stoop o 'er me from above ; 
The calm, majestic presence of the Night, 

As of the one I love. 

I heard the sounds of sorrow and delight, 

The manifold, soft chimes, 
That fill the haunted chambers of the Night, 

Like some old poet's rhymes. 

From the cool cisterns of the midnight air 

My spirit drank repose ; 
The fountain of perpetual peace flows 
there, — 

From those deep cisterns flows. 



TRAINING OF THE VOICE 73 

O holy Night ! from thee I learn to bear 
What man has borne before ! 

Thou layest thy finger on the lips of Care, 
And they complain no more. 

Peace! Peace! Orestes-like I breathe this 
prayer ! 
Descend with broad-winged flight, 
The welcome, the thrice-prayed for, the 
most fair, 
The best-beloved Night! 

— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. 

THANATOPSIS. 

To him who in the love of Nature holds 
Communion with her visible forms, she 

speaks 
A various language. For his gayer hours 
She has a voice of gladness, and a smile 
And eloquence of beauty ; and she glides 
Into his darker musings, with a mild 
And gentle sympathy, that steals away 
Their sharpness ere he is aware. When 

thoughts 
Of the last bitter hour come like a blight 
Over thy spirit, and sad images 
Of the stern agony, and shroud and pall, 



74 TRAINING OF THE VOICE 

And breathless darkness, and the narrow 

house, 
Make thee to shudder, and grow sick at 

heart, 
Go forth under the open sky, and list 
To Nature's teachings, while from all 

around — 
Earth and her waters, and the depths of 

air- 
Comes a still voice, — Yet a few days, and 

thee 
The all-beholding Sun shall see no more 
In all his course ; nor yet in the cold ground, 
Where thy pale form was laid, with many 

tears, 
Nor in th' embrace of ocean, shall exist 
Thy image. Earth, that nourished thee, 

shall claim 
Thy growth, to be resolved to earth again ; 
And, lost each human trace, surrendering 

up 
Thine individual being, shalt thou go 
To mix forever with the elements, 
To be a brother to th' insensible rock, 
And to the sluggish clod which the rude 

swain 



TRAINING OF THE VOICE 75 

Turns with his share, and treads upon. 

The oak 
Shall send his roots abroad, and pierce thy 

mould. 
Yet not to thine eternal resting-place 
Shalt thou retire alone; nor couldst thou 

wish 
Couch more magnificent. Thou shalt lie 

down 
With patriarchs of the infant world ; with 

kings, 
The powerful of the Earth, — the wise, the 

good, 
Fair forms, and hoary seers of ages past, — 
All in one mighty sepulchre. The hills 
Bock-ribb'd and ancient as the Sun; the 

vales 
Stretching in pensive quietness between; 
The venerable woods ; rivers that move 
In majesty, and the complaining brooks 
That make the meadows green ; and, pour 'd 

round all, 
Old ocean's gray and melancholy waste, — 
Are but the solemn decorations all 
Of the great tomb of man. The golden Sun, 
The planets, all the infinite host of heaven, 



76 TKAINING OF THE VOICE 

Are shining on the sad abodes of death, 
Through the still lapse of ages. All that 

tread 
The globe are but a handful to the tribes 
That slumber in its bosom. Take the wings 
Of morning, and the Barcan desert pierce ; 
Or lose thyself in the continuous woods 
Where rolls the Oregon, and hears no 

sound 
Save his own dashings, — yet the dead are 

there ; 
And millions in those solitudes, since first 
The flight of years began, have laid them 

down 
In their last sleep, — the dead reign there 

alone. 
So shalt thou rest ; and what if thou shalt 

fall 
Unnoticed by the living, and no friend 
Take note of thy departure? All that 

breathe 
Will share thy destiny. The gay will laugh 
When thou art gone, the solemn brood of 

care 
Plod on, and each one, as before, will chase 



TRAINING OF THE VOICE 77 

His favorite phantom; yet all these shall 

leave 
Their mirth and their employments, and 

shall come 
And make their bed with thee. As the long 

train 
Of ages glide away, the sons of men, 
The youth in life's green spring, and he 

who goes 
In the full strength of years, matron, and 

maid, 
The bow'd with age, the infant in the 

smiles 
And beauty of its innocent age cut off, 
Shall, one by one, be gather 'd to thy side 
By those who in their turn shall follow 

them. 
So live that when thy summons comes to 

join 
Th* innumerable caravan, that moves 
To the pale realms of shade, where each 

shall take 
His chamber in the silent halls of death, 
Thou go not, like the quarry-slave at night 
Scourged to his dungeon; but, sustain 'd 

and soothed 



78 TRAINING OF THE VOICE 

By an unfaltering trust, approach thy 

grave, 
Like one who wraps the drapery of his 

couch 
About him, and lies down to pleasant 

dreams. 

— W. C. Bryant. 

THE MEECY SPEECH IN "MER- 
CHANT OF VENICE. " 

Portia. The quality of mercy is not 

strained ; 
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven 
Upon the place beneath : it is twice bless 'd; 
It blesseth him that gives and him that 

takes : 
? Tis mightiest in the mightiest : it becomes 
The throned monarch better than his 

crown ; 
His sceptre shows the force of temporal 

power, 
The attribute to awe and majesty, 
"Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of 

kings ; 
But mercy is above this sceptred sway ; 



TRAINING OF THE VOICE 79 

It is enthroned in the hearts of kings, 

It is an attribute to God himself; 

And earthly power doth then show likest 

God's 
When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, 

Jew, 
Though justice be thy plea, consider this, — 
That in the course of justice none of us 
Should see salvation: we do pray for 

mercy, 
And that same prayer doth teach us all to 

render 
The deeds of mercy. 

— Shakespeare. 

GOOD-MORROW. 

Pack, clouds, away, and welcome day, 

With night we banish sorrow ; 
Sweet air, blow soft, mount, lark, aloft, 

To give my love good-morrow. 
Wings from the wind to please her mind, 

Notes from the lark I'll borrow; 
Bird, prune thy wing, nightingale, sing, 

To give my love good-morrow ; 
To give my love good-morrow, 
Notes from the lark I'll borrow. 



80 TRAINING OF THE VOICE 

Wake from thy rest, robin-redbreast, 

Sing, birds, in every furrow ; 
And from each hill let music shrill 
Give my fair love good-morrow. 
Blackbird and thrush in every bush, 

Stare, linnet and cock-sparrow, 
You pretty elves, amongst yourselves 
Sing my fair love good-morrow; 
To give my love^good-morrow 
Sing birds in every furrow. 

— Heywood. 

THE ISLE OF LONG AGO. 

O a wonderful stream is the river Time, 
As it runs through the realm of tears, 
With a faultless rhythm and a musical 

rhyme, 
And a boundless sweep and a surge 
sublime, 
As it blends with the Ocean of Years. 

How the Winters are drifting, like flakes 

of snow, 
And the Summers like buds between, 
And the year in the sheaf; so they come 

and they go, 



TRAINING OF THE VOICE 81 

On the river 's breast, with its ebb and flow, 

As it glides in the shadow and sheen. 
There 's a magical isle up the river Time, 
Where the softest of airs are playing; 
There's a cloudless sky and a tropical 

clime, 
And a song as sweet as a vesper chime, 
And the Junes with the roses are stray- 
ing. 

And the name of that Isle is the Long Ago, 

And we bury our treasures there ; 
There are brows of beauty and bosoms of 

snow ; 
There are heaps of dust, — but we loved 
them so! 
There are trinkets and tresses of hair; 

There are fragments of song that nobody 
sings, 
And a part of an infant's prayer; 
There 's a lute unswept, and a harp without 

strings ; 
There are broken vows and pieces of rings, 
And the garments that she used to wear. 
There are hands that are waved when the 
fairy shore 



82 TRAINING OF THE VOICE 

By the mirage is lifted in air ; 
And we sometimes hear through the turbu- 
lent roar 
Sweet voices we heard in the days gone 
before, 
When the wind down the river is fair. 

0, remember 'd for aye be the blessed Isle, 

All the day of our life until night ; 
When the evening comes with its beautiful 

smile, 
And our eyes are closing to slumber awhile, 
May that "Greenwood" of Soul be in 
sight ! 

— Benj. F. Taylor. 

THE BROOKSIDE. 

I wandered by the brookside, 

I wandered by the mill ; 
I could not hear the brook flow, — 

The noisy wheel was still; 
There was no burr of grasshopper, 

No chirp of any bird, 
But the beating of own heart 

Was all the sound I heard. 



TRAINING OF THE VOICE 83 

I sat beneath the elm tree ; 

I watched the long, long shade, 
And, as it grew still longer, 

I did not feel afraid ; 
For I listened for a footfall, 

I listened for a word, — 
But the beating of my own heart 

Was all the sound I heard. 



THE BALLAD OF THE BROOK. 

Oh, it was a dainty maid that went a-may- 
ing in the morn, 
A dainty, dainty maiden of degree ; 
The ways she took were merry, and the 
ways she missed forlorn, 
And the laughing water tinkled to the 
sea. 

The little leaves above her loved the dainty, 
dainty maid, 
The little winds they kissed her, every 
one; 
At the nearing of her little feet the flowers 
were not afraid, 
And the water lay a-wimpling in the sun. 



84 TRAINING OF THE VOICE 

Oh, the dainty, dainty maid to the borders 
of the brook, 
Lingered down as lightly as the breeze ; 
And the shy water-spiders quit their 
scurrying to look, 
And the happy water whispered to the 
trees. 

She was fain to cross the brook, was the 
dainty, dainty maid, 
But first she lifted up her elfin eyes 
To see if there were cavalier or clown 
anear to aid, 
And the water-bubbles blinked in sur- 
prise. 

The brook bared its pebbles to persuade 
her dainty feet, 
But the dainty, dainty maid was not con- 
tent ; 
She had spied a simple country lad (for 
dainty maid unmeet), 
And the shy water twinkled as it went. 

As the simple lad drew nigh, then this 
dainty, dainty maid, 



TKAINING OF THE VOICE 85 

Oh, maidens, well you know how it was 

done! 
Stood a-gazing at her feet, until he saw she 

was afraid 
Of the water there a-wimpling in the sun. 

Now that simple lad had in him all the 
making of a man, 
And he stammered, "I had better lift 
you over. ' ' 
Said the dainty, dainty maid, "Do you 
really think you can ? J ' 
And the water hid its laughter in the 
clover. 

So he carried her across, with his honest 
eyes cast down, 
And his foolish heart a-quaking with de- 
light, 
And the maid, she looked him over with her 
elfin eyes of brown, 
And the limpid water giggled at his 
plight. 

He reached the other side ; he set down the 
dainty maid ; 



86 TRAINING OF THE VOICE 

But lie trembled so lie couldn't speak a 

word; 
Then the dainty, dainty maid, " Thank 

you, sir ! Good-day ! ' ' she said, 
And the water-bubbles chuckled as they 

heard. 

Oh, she tripped away so lightly, a-maying 
in the morn, 
That dainty, dainty maiden of degree ; 
But she left the simple country lad a-sigh- 
ing and forlorn, 
Where the mocking water twinkled to the 
sea. 

— Charles G. D. Roberts. 

SONG OF THE BROOK. 

I come from haunts of coot and hern : 

I make a sudden sally 
And sparkle out among the fern, 

To bicker down a valley. 

By thirty hills I hurry down, 

Or slip between the ridges, 
By twenty thorps, a little town, 

And half a hundred bridges. 



TRAINING OF THE VOICE 87 

Till last by Philip 's farm I flow 

To join the brimming river, 
For men may come and men may go, 

But I go on forever. 

I chatter over stony ways, 

In little sharps and trebles, 
I bubble into eddying bays, 

I babble on the pebbles. 

With many a curve my banks I fret 

By many a field and fallow, 
And many a fairy foreland set 

With willow-weed and mallow. 

I chatter, chatter, as I flow 
To join the brimming river ; 

For men may come and men may go, 
But I go on forever. 

I wind about, and in and out, 
With here a blossom sailing, 

And here and there a lusty trout, 
And here and there a grayling ; 

And here and there a foamy flake 
Upon me, as I travel 



88 TRAINING OF THE VOICE 

With many a silvery waterbreak 
Above the golden gravel; 

And draw them all along, and flow 
To join the brimming river; 

For men may come and men may go, 
But I go on forever. 

I steal by lawns and grassy plots ; 

I slide by hazel covers ; 
I move the sweet forget-me-nots 

That grow for happy lovers : 

I slip, I slide, I gloom, I glance, 
Among my skimming swallows ; 

I make the netted sunbeams dance 
Against my sandy shallows. 

— Alfred Tennyson. 

THE BELLS. 

Hear the sledges with the bells, — silver 

bells ; 
What a world of merriment their melody 

foretells ! 

How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle, 
In the icy air of night ! 



TRAINING OF THE VOICE 89 

While the stars, that oversprinkle 
All the heavens, seem to twinkle 

With a crystalline delight; 
Keeping time, time, time, 
In a sort of Runic rhyme, 
To the tintinnabulation that so musically 
wells 
From the bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, — 
From the jingling and the tinkling of the 
bells. 

Hear the mellow wedding-bells, — golden 

bells! 
What a world of happiness their harmony 
foretells ! 

Through the balmy air of night 

How they ring out their delight ! 

From the molten-golden notes, 

And all in tune, 
What a liquid ditty floats 
To the turtle-dove that listens, while she 
gloats 

On the moon ! 
0, from out the sounding cells, 
What a gush of euphony voluminously 
wells ! 



90 TKAIETING OF THE VOICE 

How it swells ! how it dwells 
On the Future ! how it tells 
Of the rapture that impels 
To the swinging and the ringing 
Of the bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, — 
To the rhyming and the chiming of the 
bells! 

Hear the loud alarum bells, — brazen bells ! 
What a tale of terror, now, their turbulency 
tells! 

In the startled ear of night 
How they scream out their affright ! 
Too much horrified to speak, 
They can only shriek, shriek, 
Out of tune, 
In a clamorous appealing to the mercy of 

the fire, 
In a mad expostulation with the deaf and 
frantic fire 
Leaping higher, higher, higher, 
With a desperate desire, 
And a resolute endeavor, 
Now — now to sit or never, 
By the side of the pale-faced Moon. 
O, the bells, bells, bells ! 



TRAINING OF THE VOICE 91 

What a tale their terror tells 
Of despair ! 
How they clang, and clash, and roar ! 
What a horror they outpour 
Qn the bosom of the palpitating air ! 

Yet the ear, it fully knows, 
By the twanging and the clanging, 

How the danger ebbs and flows; 
Yet the ear distinctly tells, 
In the jangling and the wrangling, 
How the danger sinks and swells, 
By the sinking or the swelling in the anger 
of the bells, — 
Of the bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, — 
In the clamor and the clangor of the bells ! 

— Edgar A. Poe. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

EXERCISES FOR FULLNESS, 
BREADTH AND POWER OF TONE. 

If the practice of the preceding work has 
been carried on faithfully, the student is 
ready for this last group of selections. 
In these selections the student will work 
for larger, broader, rounder, and more 
powerful tones. The ideas are larger 
and more significant, and this must be 
experienced in his thinking as the student 
practices. Once the voice is a free and 
normal agent, vocal effects are entirely 
a matter of thought and feeling. That is, 
the voice will reflect that thought and that 
feeling which the speaker actually experi- 
ences vividly. First the idea, then the 
spirit of the idea, and then the utterance. 
But even then, the voice technic is not to 
be forgotten: the open relaxed and still 
throat ; the flat tongue ; the rounded mouth ; 
the focus of tones at the lips; the dia- 

92 



TRAINING OF THE VOICE 93 

phragmatic supply of air and diaphrag- 
matic support of the tone. 

HOW THEY BROUGHT THE GOOD 
NEWS FROM GHENT TO AIX. 

I sprang to the stirrup, and Joris and he ; 

I galloped, Dirck galloped, we galloped all 
three ; 

1 ' Good speed ! ' 9 cried the watch as the gate- 
bolts undrew, 

"Speed I" echoed the wall to us galloping 
through. 

Behind shut the postern, the lights sank to 
rest, 

And into the midnight we galloped abreast. 

Not a word to each other ; we kept the great 
pace, — 

Neck by neck, stride by stride, never chang- 
ing our place ; 

I turned in my saddle and made its girths 
tight, 

Then shortened each stirrup and set the 
pique right, 

Rebuckled the cheek-strap, chained slacker 
the bit, 

Nor galloped less steadily Roland a whit. 



94 TRAINING OF THE VOICE 

'Twas a moonset at starting; but while we 

drew near 
Lokeren, the cocks crew and twilight 

dawned clear ; 
At Boom a great yellow star came out to 

see; 
At Diiffeld 'twas morning as plain as could 

be; 
And from Mecheln church-steeple we heard 

the half -chime, — 
So Joris broke silence with "Yet there is 

time!" 



At Aerschot up leaped of a sudden the sun, 
And against him the cattle stood black 

every one, 
To stare through the mist at us galloping 

past; 
And I saw my stout galloper Eoland at last, 
With resolute shoulders, each butting 

away 
The haze, as some bluff river headland its 

spray; 
And his low head and crest, just one sharp 

ear bent back 



TRAINING OF THE VOICE 95 

For my voice, and the other pricked out on 

his track ; 
And one eye's black intelligence, — ever 

that glance 
O'er its white edge at me, his own master, 

askance ; 
And the thick heavy spume-flakes, which 

aye and anon 
His fierce lips shook upward in galloping 

on. 

By Hasselt Dirck groaned ; and cried Joris, 

"Stay spur! 
Your Eoos galloped bravely, the fault's 

not in her ; 
-We'll remember at Aix," — for one heard 

the quick wheeze 
Of her chest, saw the stretched neck, and 

staggering knees, 
And sunk tail, and horrible heave of the 

flank, 
As down on her haunches she shuddered 

and sank. 
So we were left galloping, Joris and I, 
Past Looz and past Tongres, no cloud in 

the sky; 



96 TEAINING OF THE VOICE 

The broaa sun above laughed a pitiless 

laugh ; 
'Neath our feet broke the brittle, bright 

stubble like chaff; 
Till over by Dalhem a dome-spire sprang 

white, 
And "Gallop," gasped Joris, "for Aix is 
in sight!" 

"How they'll greet us!" — and all in a 

moment his roan 
Eolled neck and croup over, lay dead as a 

stone ; 
And there was my Eoland to bear the whole 

weight 
Of the news which alone could save Aix 

from her fate, 
With his nostrils like pits full of blood to 

the brim, 
And with circles of red for his eye-sockets' 

rim. 

Then I cast loose my buff-coat, each holster 

let fall, 
Shook off both my jack-boots, let go belt 

and all, 



TRAINING OF THE VOICE 97 

Stood up in the stirrup, leaned, patted his 

ear, 
Called my Roland his pet name, my horse 

without peer, — 
Clapped my hands, laughed and sung, any 

noise, bad or good, 
Till at length into Aix Roland galloped and 

stood. 

And all I remember is friends flocking 

round, 
As I sate with his head 'twixt my knees on 

the ground ; 
And no voice but was praising this Roland 

of mine, 
As I poured down his throat our last 

measure of wine, 
Which (the burgesses voted by common 

consent) 
Was no more than his due who brought 

good news from Ghent. 

— Robert Browning. 

Herald of Burgundy, in God's name and 
the King's, I bid you go back to your master 
and say this ; Kings are great in the eyes 



98 TKAINIJSTG OF THE VOICE 

of the people, but the people are great in 
the eyes of God, and it is the people of 
France who speak to you in the name of this 
epitome. The people of Paris are not so 
poor of spirit that they fear the croak of 
the Burgundian Eavens. "We are well 
victualed, we are well armed, we lie snug 
and warm behind our stout walls. "We 
laugh at your leaguer. But when we who 
eat are hungry, when we who drink are 
dry, when we who glow are frozen, when 
there is neither bite on the board, nor drop 
in the pitcher, nor spark on the hearth, 
our answer to rebellious Burgundy will 
be the same. You are knocking at our 
doors ; beware lest we open them and come 
out and hold talk with the enemy at our 
gates. We give you back defiance for defi- 
ance, menace for menace, blow for blow. 
This is our answer, this and the drawn 
sword. God and St. Denis for the King 
of France. — McCarthy. Answer to Bur- 
gundy, in "If I Were King." 

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, 
once more ; 



TRAINING OF THE VOICE 99 

Or close the wall up with our English dead. 
In peace there *s nothing so becomes a man 
As modest stillness and humility: 
But when the blast of war blows in our ears, 
Then imitate the action of the tiger; 
Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood, 
Disguise fair nature with hard favored 

rage; 
Then lend the eye a terrible aspect ; 
Let it pry through the portage of the head 
Like the brass cannon; let the brow over- 
whelm it 
As fearfully as doth a galled rock 
'erhang and jutty his confounded base, 
Swill M with the wild and wasteful ocean. 
Now set the teeth, and stretch the nostrils 

wide, 
Hold hard the breath and bend up every 

spirit 
To his full height. On, on, you noblest 

English, 
Whose blood is fet from fathers of war 
proof! 

— Shakespeare. King Henry V to His 
Soldiers. 



100 TRAINING OF THE VOICE 

APOSTROPHE TO THE OCEAN. 

There is a pleasure in the pathless woods, 

There is a rapture on the lonely shore, 
There is society, where none intrudes, 

By the deep sea, and music in its roar. 

I love not man the less, but Nature more, 
From these our interviews, in which I steal 

From all I may be, or have been before, 
To mingle with the universe and feel 
What I can ne'er express, yet cannot all 
conceal. 

Roll on, thou deep and dark blue Ocean — 

roll! 

Ten thousand fleets sweep over thee in 

vain, 

Man marks the earth with ruin — his control 

Stops with the shore ; — upon the watery 

plain 
The wrecks are all thy deed, nor doth 
remain 
A shadow of man's ravage, save his own, 
When for a moment, like a drop of rain, 
He sinks into thy depths with bubbling 
groan, 



TRAINING OF THE VOICE 101 

Without a grave, unknelled, uncoffined, and 
unknown. 

The armaments which thunderstrike the 
walls 
Of rock-built cities, bidding nations 
quake, 
And monarchs tremble in their capitals ; 
The oak leviathans, whose huge ribs 

make 
Their clay creator the vain title take 
Of lord of thee, and arbiter of war, — 
These are thy toys, and, as the snowy 
flake, 
They melt into thy yeast of waves, which 

mar 
Alike the Armada *s pride, or spoils of 
Trafalgar. 

Thy shores are empires, changed in all save 
thee — 
Assyria, Greece, Eome, Carthage, — what 
are they? 
Thy waters wasted them while they were 
free, 
And many a tyrant since; their shores 
obey 



102 TRAINING OF THE VOICE 

The stranger, slave, or savage; their 

decay 
Has dried up realms to deserts: — not so 

thou, 
Unchangeable, save to thy wild waves' 

play- 
Time writes no wrinkle on thine azure 

brow — 
Such as creation's dawn beheld, thou 

rollest now. 

Thou glorious mirror, where the Al- 
mighty's form 
Glasses itself in tempests ; in all time, 
Calm or convulsed — in breeze or gale or 
storm, 
Icing the pole, or in the torrid clime 
Dark heaving; — boundless, endless, and 
sublime — 
The image of Eternity — the throne 

Of the Invisible ; even from out thy slime 
The monsters of the deep are made ; each 

zone 
Obeys thee : thou goest forth, dread, fath- 
omless, alone. 



TRAINING OF THE VOICE 103 

FROM "THE BUILDING OF THE 
SHIP." 

Thou, too, sail on, Ship of State ! 
Sail on, Union, strong and great ! 
Humanity, with all its fears, 
With all the hopes of future years, 
Is hanging breathless on thy fate ! 

We know what Master laid thy keel, 
What workmen wrought thy ribs of steel, 
Who made each mast, and sail, and rope, 
What anvils rang, what hammers beat, 
In what a forge, and what a heat, 
Were shaped the anchors of thy hope ! 

Fear not each sudden sound and shock; 
'Tis of the wave, and not the rock ; 
'Tis but the flapping of the sail, 
And not a rent made by the gale ! 
In spite of rock and tempest's roar, 
In spite of false lights on the shore, 
Sail on, nor fear to breast the sea ! 
Our hearts, our hopes, are all with thee : 
Our hearts, our hopes, our prayers, our 
tears, 



104 TEAINING OF THE VOICE 

Our faith triumphant o'er our fears, 
Are all with thee, — are all with thee! 
— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. 

PATRIOTISM. 

Breathes there the man, with soul so dead, 
Who never to himself hath said, 

This is my own, my native land ! 
Whose heart hath ne'er within him burn'd, 
As home his footsteps he hath turn'd, 

From wandering on a foreign strand! 
If such there breathe, go, mark him well : 
For him no minstrel raptures swell ; 
High though his titles, proud his name, 
Boundless his wealth as wish can claim; 
Despite those titles, power, and pelf, 
The wretch, concentred all in self, 
Living, shall forfeit fair renown, 
And, doubly dying, shall go down 
To the vile dust, from whence he sprung, 
Unwept, unhonor'd, and unsung, 
O Caledonia ! stern and wild, 
Meet nurse for a poetic child! 
Land of brown heath and shaggy wood, 
Land of the mountain and the flood, 



TRAINING OF THE VOICE 105 

Land of my sires ! what mortal hand 

Can e 'er untie the filial band, 

That knits me to thy rugged strand ! 

Still, as I view each well-known scene, 

Think what is now, and what hath been, 

Seems as, to me, of all bereft, 

Sole friends thy woods and streams were 

left; 
And thus I love them better still, 
Even in extremity of ill. 

— Sir Walter Scott. 

THE RISING OF 1776. 

Out of the North the wild news came, 
Far flashing on its wings of flame, 
Swift as the boreal light which flies 
At midnight through the startled skies. 
And there was tumult in the air, 

The fife's shrill note, the drum's loud 
beat, 
And through the wide land everywhere 

The answering tread of hurrying feet ; 
While the first oath of Freedom's gun 
Came on the blast from Lexington ; 
And Concord roused, no longer tame, 



106 TRAINING OF THE VOICE 

Forgot her old baptismal name, 
Made bare her patriot arm of power, 
And swelPd the discord of the hour. 

Within its shade of elm and oak 

The church of Berkley Manor stood ; 
There Sunday found the rural folk, 

And some esteem ? d of gentle blood. 

In vain their feet with loitering tread 
Pass'd mid the graves where rank is 

nought ; 
All could not read the lesson taught 

In that republic of the dead. 
How sweet the hour of Sabbath talk, 

The vale with peace and sunshine full, 
Where all the happy people walk, 

Deck'd in their homespun flax and wool; 

Where youth's gay hats with blossoms 
bloom 
And every maid, with simple art, 
Wears on her breast, like her own heart, 

A bud whose depths are all perfume ; 
While every garment's gentle stir 
Is breathing rose and lavender. 

And now before the open door — 



TRAINING OF THE VOICE 107 

The warrior priest had order 'd so — 
Th' enlisting trumpet's sudden roar 
Eang through the chapel, o 'er and o 'er, 

Its long reverberating blow, 
So loud and clear, it seem'd the ear 
Of dusty death must wake and hear. 

And there the startling drum and fife 
Fired the living with fiercer life ; 
While overhead, with wild increase, 
Forgetting its ancient toll of peace, 

The great bell swung as ne'er before : 
It seem'd as it would never cease; 
And every word its ardor flung 
From off its jubilant iron tongue 

Was, "War! War! WAR!" 

"Who dares" — this was the patriot's cry, 
As striding from the desk he came — 
"Come out with me, in Freedom's name, 
For her to live, for her to die?" 
A hundred hands flung up reply, 
A hundred voices answer 'd, "I!" 

— Thomas Buchanan Read. 



108 TRAINING OF THE VOICE 

THE REVENGE. 

At Flores in the Azores Sir Eichard Gren- 

ville lay, 
And a pinnace, like a flutter 'd bird, came 

flying from far away: 
"Spanish ships of war at sea! we have 

sighted fifty-three ! ' ' 
Then sware Lord Thomas Howard: 

" 'Fore God, I am no coward; 
But I cannot meet them here, for my ships 

are out of gear, 
And the half my men are sick. I must fly, 

but follow quick. 
We are six ships of the line ; can we fight 

with fifty-three?" 
Then spake Sir Richard Grenville: "I 

know you are no coward ; 
You fly them for a moment to fight with 

them again. 
But I've ninety men and more that are 

lying sick ashore. 
I should count myself the coward if I left 

them, my Lord Howard, 
To these Inquisition dogs and the devil- 
doms of Spain.' ' 



TBAIXIXG OF THE VOICE 109 

So Lord Howard passed away with five 

ships of war that day, 
Till he melted like a cloud in the silent 

summer heaven; 
But Sir Richard bore in hand all his sick 

men from the land 
Very carefully and slow, 
Men of Bideford in Devon, 
And we laid them on the ballast down 

below ; 
For we brought them all aboard, 
And they blest him in their pain, that they 

were not left to Spain, 
To the thumbscrew and the stake, for the 

glory of the Lord. 

He had only a hundred seamen to work the 

ship and to fight, 
And he sailed away from Flores till the 

Spaniard came in sight, 
With his huge sea-castles heaving upon the 

weather bow. 
"Shall we fight, or shall we fly? 
Good Sir Richard, tell us now, 
For to fight is but to die ! 



110 TRAINING OF THE VOICE 

There '11 be little of us left by the time this 
sun be set." 



And Sir Richard said again: "We be all 
good English men. 

Let us bang these dogs of Seville, the chil- 
dren of the devil, 

For I never turn'd my back upon Don or 
devil yet." 

Sir Richard spoke and he laugh 'd, and we 

roar'd a hurrah, and so 
The little Revenge ran on sheer into the 

heart of the foe, 
With her hundred fighters on deck, and her 

ninety sick below ; 
For half of their fleet to the right and half 

to the left were seen, 
And the little Revenge ran on thro* the 

long sea-lane between. 

Thousands of their soldiers look'd down 

from their decks and laugh 'd, 
Thousands of their seamen made mock at 
the mad little craft 



TKAINING OF THE VOICE 111 

Running on and on, till delay 'd 

By their mountain-like San Philip that, of 

fifteen hundred tons, 
And up-shadowing high above us with her 

yawning tiers of guns, 
Took the breath from our sails, and we 

stay'd. 

And while now the great San Philip hung 

above us like a cloud 
Whence the thunderbolt will fall 
Long and loud, 
Four galleons drew away 
From the Spanish fleet that day, 
And two upon the larboard and two upon 

the starboard lay, 
And the battle-thunder broke from them 

all. 

But anon the great San Philip, she be- 
thought herself and went, 

Having that within her womb that had left 
her ill-content; 

And the rest they came aboard us, and they 
fought us hand to hand, 

For a dozen times they came with their 
pikes and musqueteers, 



112 TRAINING OF THE VOICE 

And a dozen times we shook 'em off as a 

dog that shakes his ears 
When he leaps from the water to the land. 

And the sun went down, and the stars came 
out far over the summer sea, 

But never a moment ceased the fight of the 
one and the fifty-three. 

Ship after ship, the whole night long, their 
high-built galleons came, 

Ship after ship, the whole night long, with 
her battle-thunder and flame ; 

Ship after ship, the whole night long, drew 
back with her dead and her shame. 

For some were sunk and many were shat- 
ter M, and so could fight us no more — 

God of battles, was ever a battle like this 
in the world before? 

For he said, " Fight on! fight on!" 
Tho' his vessel was all but a wreck; 
And it chanced that, when half of the short 

summer night was gone, 
With a grisly wound to be drest he had left 

the deck, 



TRAINING OF THE VOICE 113 

But a bullet struck him that was dressing 

it suddenly dead, 
And himself he was wounded again in the 

side and the head 
And he said, " Fight on; fight on!" 

And the night went down, and the sun 

smiled out far over the summer sea, 
And the Spanish fleet with broken sides lay 

round us all in a ring; 
But they dared not touch us again, for 

they fear'd that we still could sting, 
So they watch 'd what the end would be. 
And we had not fought them in vain, 
But in perilous plight were we, 
Seeing forty of our poor hundred were 

slain, 
And half of the rest of us maim'd for life 
In the crash of the cannonades and the 

desperate strife ; 
And the sick men down in the hold were 

most of them stark and cold, 
And the pikes were all broken or bent, and 

the powder was all of it spent ; 
And the masts and the rigging were lying 

over the side ; 



114 TKAINING OF THE VOICE 

But Sir Richard cried in his English pride, 
"We have fought such a fight for a day 

and a night 
As may never be fought again ! 
We have won great glory, my men ! 
And a day less or more 
At sea or ashore, 
We die — does it matter when? 
Sink me the ship, Master Gunner — sink 

her, split her in twain ! 
Fall into the hands of God, not into the 

hands of Spain !" 

And the gunner said, "Ay, ay," but the 
seamen made reply : 

"We have children, we have wives, 

And the Lord hath spared our lives. 

We will make the Spaniard promise, if we 
yield, to let us go ; 

We shall live to fight again, and to strike 
another blow/ ' 

And the lion there lay dying, and they 
yielded to the foe. 

And the stately Spanish men to their flag- 
ship bore him then, 



TRAINING OF THE VOICE 115 

Where they laid liim by the mast, old Sir 

Richard caught at last, 
And they praised him to his face with their 

courtly foreign grace ; 
But he rose upon their decks, and he cried : 
"I have fought for Queen and Faith like a 

valiant man and true ; 
I have only done my duty as a man is bound 

to do: 
With a joyful spirit I Sir Richard Gren- 

ville die ! ' * 
And he fell upon their decks, and he died. 

And they stared at the dead that had been 

so valiant and true, 
And had holden the power and glory of 

Spain so cheap 
That he dared her w^ith one little ship and 

his English few; 
Was he devil or man? He was devil for 

aught they knew, 
But they sank his body with honor down 

into the deep, 
And they mann'd the Revenge with a 

swarthier alien crew, 



116 TRAINING OF THE VOICE 

And away she sail'd with her loss and 

long'd for her own; 
When a wind from the lands they had 

ruin'd awoke from sleep, 
And the water began to heave and the 

weather to moan, 
And or ever that evening ended a great 

gale blew, 
And a wave like the wave that is raised by 

an earthquake grew, 
Till it smote on their hulls and their sails 

and their masts and their flags, 
And the whole sea plunged and fell on the 

shot-shatter 'd navy of Spain, 
And the little Kevenge herself went down 

by the island crags 
To be lost evermore in the main. 

— Lord Tennyson. 






INDEX 

A 

Addison, exercise quoted from, 64. 

"Allegro, L'," Milton, quoted as an exercise, 68, 69. 

"Apdstrophe to the Ocean" quoted as an exercise, 100- 

102. 
Audience, speaking to an imaginary, 62, 63. 



B 



Bailey, exercise quoted from, 66. 

"Ballad of the Brook, The," Charles G. D. Roberts, 

quoted as an exercise, 83-86. 
"Bells, The," Poe, correct reading of, 13; quoted as an 

exercise, 88-91. 
Bernhardt, Mme., voice of, 7. 
Boardman, G. D., exercise quoted from, 66. 
Breathing, 33-45; at end of each phrase, 52. 
Breathy tone denned, 13; types of speech which can not 

be adequately expressed by, 14. 
"Brookside, The," quoted as an exercise, 82, 83. 
Browning, Robert, exercise quoted from, 93-97. 
Bryant, W. C, exercise quoted from, 73-78. 
"Building of the Ship, The," Longfellow, selection from, 

quoted as an exercise, 103, 104. 
Burritt, Elihu, exercise quoted from, 63. 



Chest, position of, in tone production, 35, 36, 39. 

117 



118 INDEX 

"Clergyman's sore throat," 29. 

Color of tone, 10, 15, 16. 

Complexity of emotions to be expressed by voice, 

7, 9, 10. 
Consonant articulation, exercises to acquire, 55-61. 
Corson, Dr. Hiram, quoted, 8. 



"Daffodils, The," appreciation of thought of, 68; quoted 
as an exercise, 71, 72. 

Deep breathing defined, 36. 

Demosthenes, voice of, 7. 

Diaphragm, structure and action of, 33-38; exercises to 
strengthen, 43, 44. 

Diaphragmatic breathing, 33-45. 

Dramatic or oratorical greatness dependent on voice, 7. 

"Drifting," Thomas Buchanan Read, quoted as an exer- 
cise, 69, 70. 



Education, repetition the secret of, 52. 
Emotions, how best expressed by tones, 13. 
Exercises — 

for flexibility, 12, 67. 

value of faithful and persistent practice of, 20. 

to secure an open, relaxed throat, 22, 23. 

to train the tongue, 24. 

to train the lips, 25, 26. 

for tone-placing, 28. 

breathing, 39-44. 

to strengthen diaphragm, 43, 44. 

thought of, to be first determined, 52, 62. 

repetition of, 52. 

to secure purity and resonance, 53, 54. 



INDEX 119 

Exercises (continued) — 

to acquire consonant articulation, 55-61. 

how best to practice, 62, 63. 

for larger, broader, rounder, and more powerful 
tones, 92, et seq. 
Explosive utterance, breathing to produce, 45. 



Falling inflection, practice of, 31. 
Finished tone, 28. 

Flexibility of voice much to be desired, 11, 12; lyric 
poems as exercises in practice for, 67. 

G 

"Good-morrow," Hey wood, quoted as an exercise, 79, 80. 

H 

Habits, wrong, of tone production, 1, 48. 

Heywood, exercise quoted from, 79, 80. 

"How They Brought the Good News from Ghent to 
Aix," Robert Browning, quoted as an exercise, 93-97. 

"Hymn to the Night," Longfellow, quoted as an exer- 
cise, 72, 73. 



Ideal voice, thought of, to be carried in mind of stu- 
dent, 62. 

"If I Were King," McCarthy, selection from, quoted as 
an exercise, 97, 98. 

Impurity or purity of tone, 10, 14. 

"Isle of Long Ago, The," Benj. F. Taylor, quoted as an 
exercise, 80-82. 



120 INDEX 

J 

Johnson, Dr., exercise quoted from, 65. 

L 

Laws which govern production of voice, 6. 

Lips in tone production, 25-32, 53. 

Longfellow, exercises quoted from, 60, 61, 72, 73, 103, 

104. 
Lyric poems, practice of, 67. 

M 

Massage of jaw muscles, 23. 

McCarthy, exercise quoted from, 97, 98. 

"Merchant of Venice, The," the "Mercy Speech" from, 
quoted as an exercise, 78, 79. 

Milton, exercise quoted from, 68, 69. 

Mind, the part it plays in tone production, 46-50, 62. 

Musical instruments compared to voice, 6; laws in- 
volved in construction of, 19. 

Musical tones, what made up of, 27; learning to dis- 
tinguish the good, 48, 49. 

N 

Neal, John, exercise quoted from, 64. 



Obliqui and transversalis muscles, 37, 38. 

Oratorical or dramatic greatness dependent on voice, 7. 



INDEX 121 



"Patriotism," Sir Walter Scott, quoted as an exercise, 

104, 105. 
Phillips, Wendell, voice of, 7. 
Phrase from standpoint of tone production, 51. 
Phrase unit determines pause, 67. 
Pitch movement, 10, 11. 

"Placing" of the voice, 27; exercises for, 28-32. 
Poe, Edgar A., exercise quoted from, 88-91. 
Poetry, the reading of, 12, 13, 67. 
Pope, exercise quoted from, 64. 
Practice, value of, 1, 2, 18, 52, 62, 63, 67. 
Printed lesson, its value in voice-training, 17. 
Proverb, Henry, exercise quoted from, 66. 
Psychology of tone production, 46-50, 62. 
Public speakers of past ages, 6. 
"Public speaker's sore throat," 29. 
Public speakers, voices of, 5-8, 14. 
Pure tone defined, 13. 

Purity and resonance, exercises to secure, 53, 54. 
Purity or impurity of tone, 10, 14. 

R 

Raw tone defined, 27. 

Read, Thomas Buchanan, exercises quoted from, 69, 70, 
105-107. 

Repetition the secret of education, 52. 

Resonance of voice, 10; exercises to secure, 53, 54. 

"Revenge, The," Lord Tennyson, quoted as an exer- 
cise, 108-116. 

Rising inflection, practice of, 30. 

"Rising of 1776, The," Thomas Buchanan Read, quoted 
as an exercise, 105-107. 

Roberts, Charles G. D., exercise quoted from, 83-86. 



122 INDEX 



Science of tone production, 19. 
Scott, Sir Walter, exercise quoted from, 104, 105. 
Sentences, practice with, 32, 51. 

Shakespeare, exercises quoted from, 63, 64, 78, 79, 98, 99. 
Singing and speaking voices, pitches of, 10. 
Sing-song utterance, to avoid, 67. 

"Song of the Brook," Tennyson, quoted as an exer- 
cise, 86-88. 
Sounds represented by words, 8, 9. 
Speaking and singing voices, pitches of, 10. 
Speech tone, qualities of an acceptable, 48. 
Support of voice, 37. 
Syllables, practice with, 30, 31. 



Taylor, Benj. F., exercise quoted from, 80-82. 
Teachers of tone production, 46, 47. 
Tennyson, exercises quoted from, 86-88, 108-116. 
"Thanatopsis," W. C. Bryant, correct reading of, 13; 

quoted as an exercise, 73-78. 
Thought of each exercise to be first determined, 52, 62. 
Throat, open, relaxed position of, 22-24, 41, 53. 
Time rate, 10, 11. 

Time to be devoted to voice practice, 2, 18, 52. 
Tone and tone production — 

one of the qualities of the voice, 10. 

pure and breathy tones defined, 13. 

impure tones, 14. 

nature of thought determines tones to be em- 
ployed, 14-16. 

color of tone, 10, 15, 16. 

tone production a scientific process, 19. 

method of tone production and conditions neces- 
sary to it, 21, 22. 



INDEX 123 

Tone and tone production (continued) — 

correct position for, 22, 23. 

the so-called raw, 27. 

"placing" of voice a requisite of, 27. 

exercises for tone-placing, 28. 

process of, as related to the throat, 28, 29. 

effect of lips on tone, 29, 30. 

syllable practice for, 30, 31. 

sentence practice for, 32. 

and breathing, 33-45. 

schools of teachers of, 46, 47. 

psychology of, 46-50, 62. 

developing an appreciation of good tone, 48. 

phrase from standpoint of tone production, 51. 

exercises for larger, broader, rounder, and more 
powerful tones 92 et seq. 
Tongue, exercises for the training of, 24; position of, 

in relation to vowel production, 26. 
Training of voice, possibilities of, 16; value of printed 

lesson in, 17; time and study required in, 18, 19. 
Transversalis and obliqui muscles, 37, 38. 



Vocal cords and tone production, 29. 
Vocal effort and incorrect adjustment of vocal ap- 
paratus, 21. 
Voice — 

habits of, 1, 48. 

practice to develop, 1, 2, 18. 

laws which govern production of, 6. 

is a musical instrument, 6. 

dramatic or oratorical greatness dependent on, 7. 

complexity of emotions to be expressed by, 7, 9, 10. 

qualities which it has at command, 10, 11. 

pitch of, 10, 11. 

flexibility of, much to be desired, 11. 



124 INDEX 

Voice (continued) — 

an inefficient, 11. 

training to produce a remarkably fine, 16, 17. 

the trained and the untrained, 17. 

is a scientific instrument, 19. 

qualities of a normally excellent, 20. 

to secure the best results for the, 21. 

"placing" of, 27. 

learning to localize properly the, 29-32. 

to create volume and preserve quality of, 36. 

support of, 36, 37. 

thought of ideal voice to be carried in mind of 
student, 62. 

when a free and normal agent, 92. 
Voices of public speakers, 5-8, 14. 
Volume of voice, 10, 14; to produce, 45. 
Vowels, adequate tone production of, 23; proper posi- 
tion of lips to produce, 25, 26; difference between, 
26; tongue position to produce, 26; practice of, 31. 

W 

Watts, Dr., exercise quoted from, 63. 
Word symbols, 9. 
Words stand for sounds, 8, 9. 
Wordsworth, exercise quoted from, 71, 72. 



Yawn, position of throat in, 22. 



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